The Price
by CreativeReading
Summary: Coulson finds a way to save Skye, but is he willing to pay the price? Set after "Tracks" WARNING- Story has spoilers for Thor:The Dark World. Some of the reviews have spoilers for plot developments of "The Price" in them as well. The sequel, "The Gift", starts on chapter 32!
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note**- I own nothing from Marvel or ABC.

Like everyone else, I was just gutted by "Tracks". Here's how I'd fix the problem.

Also, once again, please be warned that there are some **spoilers** to Thor:The Dark World.

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><p><strong>Ch. 1<strong>

It had been a week. A week of pacing the hospital room floor, staring at her still form. A week without sleep, except for the times one of the other team members had forced him to rest. Coulson blamed himself. He went over the mission six ways to Sunday, but in the end, he still blamed himself. He was the one who put her on the Bus, knowing that she wasn't a fully trained S.H.I.E.L.D. recruit. Quinn's words burned themselves into his mind.

May came in the hospital room on the eighth day, blood still drying on her fists from Quinn's "interrogation". Coulson knew that he should put a stop to it. He knew that letting May loose on Quinn would most likely garner no significant intel and might very well result in Quinn's death, but he just couldn't make himself care.

"You need to get out of this room. I'll stay here with her," May said, hand on his shoulder.

He looked up at her and saw her blanch. He knew how he must look, bloodshot eyes with bags under them, an unearthly pallor that came of little food and less sleep.

"I can't. I just can't leave," Coulson said, his voice breaking.

"Go," May replied firmly, her voice brooking no disagreement.

Finally, Coulson nodded. As he stood, he staggered a bit. He felt at least ten years older than he had a week ago. He let out a shaky breath as he made his way out of the hospital room.

00000

As soon as he arrived back at the Bus, he went straight to his room. He couldn't bear to see the guilt and sadness on everyone else's faces. It seemed as though everyone was carrying their own particular piece of guilt over what had happened to Skye. Ward was her S.O. and felt he should have trained her better. Fitz had let her go inside Quinn's house alone. Jemma hadn't been able to administer medical treatment quickly enough to avoid the coma that Skye was in.

But Coulson was the commanding officer. And whatever else happened, it was all on him. It was his duty, his responsibility. He had fought so incredibly hard the last week with the S.H.I.E.L.D. hierarchy, called Director Fury every name in the book, but to no avail. The experimental treatments used revive him were not authorized to wake Skye from her vegetative state. The coma that she was in could last for days or years.

Coulson began to pace his room, unable to slow his racing mind despite his weary state. He had an idea. It wasn't a good one. It was probably a very, very bad one. But at that moment, he knew the absolute meaning of the word desperation.

He stood in the middle of his room, feeling self-conscious, but knowing that there were much, much worse things than embarrassment.

He took a deep breath and began, "Heimdall, I know you can hear me. I am . . . son of Coul, and I need to ask a favor."


	2. Chapter 2

**Ch. 2**

The next morning, Coulson awoke to the buzz of his cell phone. He had slept almost eleven hours straight, although he could have slept even more. He frantically tried to find his phone before it went to voice mail.

He got it before the last ring. "Coulson here," he answered breathlessly.

"Agent Coulson, this is Agent Navarro out in New Mexico. I'm stationed near Puente Antiguo. We had another Bifrost incursion last night."

"Were any Asgardians found?" Coulson asked, standing up and struggling to dress quickly while awkwardly holding his phone.

"None, but there was something strange when Linguistics came out to decipher the inscription that the Bifrost left behind."

"Yes?" Coulson asked, his heart in his throat.

"It read, 'Son of Coul, your petition has been heard. You have one day to return to this spot and you and your charge will be granted safe passage to the Realm Eternal.' Now what does that mean, Agent Coulson?"

"I haven't the foggiest," Coulson lied glibly.

00000

A half hour later, Coulson, May, Ward and Simmons were all standing around the debriefing table as Coulson explained the situation. Fitz had taken over for May in Skye's room as none of them were willing to leave her alone for even a moment.

Coulson looked around the table at the anxious faces that peered back at him. "Okay team, as you know, Skye's outlook is bleak. And despite my best efforts with S.H.I.E.L.D., they have refused to authorize any 'experimental' treatments for her." He took a deep breath. "So, I took it upon myself to look into alternative methods."

"What do you mean by that, sir?" Ward asked.

"When Thor was on Earth, he mentioned, on more than one occasion, how advanced Asgard's medical achievements were compared to Earth's. So, I made contact with Asgard to petition to bring Skye there to be healed."

May looked at him as though he had lost his mind. "Sir, with all due respect, are you suggesting that we take Skye to another planet to receive medical treatment?"

"Not we, me. I am the only one here who is authorized to come with her. I am the only one here who knows Thor personally. It is Skye's best chance at the moment. I'm not saying it isn't a bit unorthodox, but frankly, I don't think we are blessed with an overabundance of options at the moment," Coulson said.

"So, we're going to break Skye out of S.H.I.E.L.D. medical facility and fly her to the New Mexican Bifrost portal?" Simmons asked nervously.

"Exactly," Coulson said nodding. "Ward and May, you two will need to come up with a tactical plan to spring Skye from the S.H.I.E.L.D. hospital and to get us past the S.H.I.E.L.D. security detail set up at the Bifrost inscription near Puente Antiguo. Simmons, I need you to work with Fitz in order to make sure that we can stabilize Skye enough to transport her to Asgard."

He looked at his team as they all nodded. He took a deep breath. "I'm not going to lie. This little caper of ours goes against every S.H.I.E.L.D. protocol that exists. I just can't see another way of helping Skye. However, I won't think any less of you if you back out."

"We're in," Simmons said with a fierceness that surprised Coulson.

Both May and Ward agreed and Coulson smiled at his team. "Alright, let's go break some regulations."


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note- **Last warning for those who haven't seen Thor:The Dark World. There are spoilers ahead!

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><p><strong>Ch. 3<strong>

Coulson arrived through the portal on shaky legs with Skye's wheeled chamber next to him. He was so very proud of his team. May and Ward had performed Skye's extraction from the S.H.I.E.L.D. hospital in Italy flawlessly. Fitz and Simmons had rigged up a portable hyperbaric chamber for Skye that would run several days without an additional power source.

When they got to the Bifrost portal, Ward and May had detonated several Night-Night grenades that Fitz and Simmons had retro-engineered, knocking out all the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents guarding the site. The hope was that S.H.I.E.L.D. would assume that it was a Centipede raid since they had used similar methods before. In fact, Coulson was counting on the fact that Skye's extraction from the medical facility would also be blamed on Centipede.

However, Coulson realized that the majority of their operation was relying heavily on the axiom that it was easier to get forgiveness than permission. He was also aware that the axiom was heavily flawed and that they would be lucky not to spend the rest of their natural lives in the brig. However, it was a price he was willing to pay if that meant that Skye would be healed.

Coulson looked around him. So this was Asgard. He saw an intimidating armored man peering down at him in the gleaming room.

"Hi, um, Heimdall right?"

"You are correct, son of Coul."

"Actually, it's . . . . never mind. I need to get to the healing rooms as soon as possible."

"The guards will accompany you to your destination," Heimdall said and pointed to a dozen guards in golden armor.

"Thank you. For bringing me here. For listening when I called for you," Coulson said.

"I have sworn loyalty to my king. I can only do what he commands," Heimdall replied evenly, his expression somewhat sad.

00000

The guards took him to a large skiff. "Normally, we would take the horses, but considering your charge . . . .,"one of them began.

"Well, I thank you," Coulson said. "Why isn't Thor here?"

The guard looked down instead of looking at Coulson. "I do not know. Please, step in."

After they had all entered the vehicle, the pilot began to manipulate the controls and the skiff began to rise. It reminded Coulson of Lola and he couldn't help but smile as they took off towards the enormous shimmering palace in the distance.

00000

At the palace, they all disembarked and Coulson followed the guards through a labyrinth of rooms, wondering if he'd ever be able to remember the way out on his own.

After a few minutes, Coulson could tell something was off. He started feeling anxious. "We are going straight to the healing rooms, right?" he asked the nearest guard.

"We've been instructed to take you directly to the throne room."

"The throne room? No! She needs to be seen by your healers right away."

"I am very sorry, but we have our orders."

There was something in the way the guards said that, the guilty looks that they exchanged between themselves that set Coulson on edge. He tried to recall anything that Thor had said about Odin that would help in the meeting. He hated having to beg for mercy like this, but he could think of no other option. He hoped that Thor would be there to help him plead his case.

"Here we are," said the lead guard as they entered a cavernous room.

Coulson's heart sank when he saw who was on the throne, lounging with his legs propped up.

It wasn't Odin.

It wasn't Thor.

It was Loki.


	4. Chapter 4

**Ch. 4 **

"I thought you dead," Loki said, smiling as Coulson came closer, wheeling Skye's chamber beside him.

"They promised me you were dead," Coulson said slowly, his mind racing. He had brought Skye here, to the den of madman. "They promised me."

"Well, it seems we were both deceived," Loki replied.

"Your father?" Coulson asked.

Loki stiffened. "Odin has fallen into a deep sleep, much like this young woman. I doubt he'll come out of it in the next century or so. Therefore, the burden of the throne became mine."

"Where's Thor?" Coulson asked.

"Oh, do you not know? He went back to Midgard to be with his woman. Such sentiment is hardly befitting a king, anyhow."

"They . . . they didn't tell me."

Loki grinned briefly. "Well, she was a lovely woman. Thor could have done worse. Pity it won't last long. And what about this one?"

"What do you mean?"

"Is she your woman?"

Coulson's head reared back and he shook it. "No," he said emphatically.

"Not your woman, then. Your daughter, perhaps?"

"No . . . at least not biologically," Coulson admitted.

"Yet, it is obvious you care for her as though she were your own child. Well, I am not entirely unfamiliar with the concept."

"Can you heal her?" Coulson asked tightly, his fists clenching to have to make this appeal to Loki, of all people.

"Oh, it is not a question of whether or not I can heal her. It is a question of whether or not I will heal her."

"Will you?" Coulson asked, hating this feeling of weakness, of supplication.

"What does it really matter though? A decade or two less of life. You all burn out so very quickly on your planet. It is amazing that you have the time to form attachments at all."

"Whatever it is you have against me, take it out on me, not her," Coulson pleaded, looking down at Skye's motionless body.

"You did shoot me," Loki pointed out, a small grin ghosting his lips.

"After you skewered me," Coulson bit back, as he began to pace.

"You do have a point there. You think me heartless, do you not? Heartless because I am not moved to compassion or pity for this young woman?" Loki asked, head cocked to the side.

"You have said yourself that you could save her and yet you're expending all of your energy baiting me," Coulson replied evenly as he turned to look at Loki.

"Do you cry, Agent Coulson, when mice die on Midgard?" Loki asked, pointedly.

"What? What are you even talking about?" Coulson asked, bewildered.

"When mice perish on your home world, do you weep, Agent Coulson? Do you hold funerals? Do you say a eulogy? I take it that you do not. On your world, mice live an average of about two years. Your species can live as many as a hundred. On Asgard, we live five thousand years. So, forgive me if the life of a fleeting mortal is hard to get worked up over," Loki sneered.

"That's how you see us? Like mice?" Coulson ground out between clenched teeth.

"Well, you must admit; it is an upgrade over ants," Loki smirked.

"How can I convince you to save her?" Coulson asked, eyes narrowed.

"That's the spirit. Always so direct. I suppose you have little time on your planet for prevarication. Alright, Agent Coulson, I have my throne now. I can afford to be magnanimous."

"Thank you," Coulson said quickly, looking down at Skye.

"There will, however, be a price," Loki added.

"There's always a price," Coulson said dully as he looked up again at Loki. "What is it?"

"To be honest, I am not completely sure at the moment. You will owe me a . . . . favor."

"A favor?" Coulson asked.

"A favor. Some time in the future, I may call upon you for a favor. Perhaps I shall request information on S.H.I.E.L.D. or my brother or well, who knows what?"

"And if I refuse?"

"Her life is forfeit," Loki replied. "Do we have a deal, Agent Coulson?"

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><p><strong>Author's Note - <strong>For those of you who watch Once Upon a Time, you'll notice that Loki has borrowed a few ideas from Rumpelstiltskin.


	5. Chapter 5

**Ch. 5**

Coulson didn't hesitate for a second. "Yes," he said quickly, before he could allow himself to think about what he was doing, putting himself in debt to the man who had killed him.

"Excellent," Loki said, his smile growing bigger. "Guards, take her to the healing room and make sure that the healers are instructed to take the utmost care with this one. Agent Coulson, you are welcome to accompany her."

00000

An hour later, one of the healers smiled over to Coulson who was leaning over Skye, brows knit with concern. "All of the damage has been repaired. However, the king has requested that she remain asleep until she returns to her homeworld."

"He did, did he?" Coulson asked tightly.

"I did," Loki replied from behind him.

"And why was that?" Coulson asked as he turned around to glare at Loki who had entered the room with a few of his advisors.

"The burden of what happened here should lay solely on your shoulders, should it not? If she awoke and realized she was indebted to a . . . what is it they call me on Midgard . . . oh, yes, . . . a war criminal, well, that might be a bit much for her to take, don't you think?" Loki said.

"I suppose so," Coulson answered, hating to agree with Loki about anything.

"Since it seems that I have held up my end of the bargain, it looks as though it is time for you to depart," Loki observed.

"Gladly," Coulson said and then hesitated before adding, "Thank you." Oh, how he hated saying that to Loki.

"You are most welcome. I look forward to our next meeting. The guards will transport you to the Bifrost," Loki said, nodding at a pair of sentries.

Coulson couldn't get out of there fast enough

00000

"So, your Majesty, are you planning to return to Midgard in the future and claim your favor?" Loki's chief advisor asked as Loki lingered in the healing rooms.

"I highly doubt it. Midgard is of little interest to me. I plan to keep well clear of it. If I ever do return, it will most likely be long after he is dead."

"But, the promise that you extracted from the Midgardian?"

"Well, he'd hardly have believed me if I had done it out of the goodness of my heart. Let him twist in the wind for the next few decades, jumping at shadows, convinced that one day I will return to wreak bloody havoc on his life. That's enough mischief to keep me well-satisfied," Loki smirked.

"I suppose you are right, your Majesty."

Loki looked over at the cadre of healers staring at him anxiously. "Thank you again for your service. I know that treating Midgardians is a bit beyond your usual purview."

"Well, even more so with this case," said the senior healer.

"How so?"

"Well, given that she was only half-Midgardian."

"Only half? How very odd. And the other half? Have the light elves been visiting Midgard again? They are a randy lot, are they not?" Loki turned and laughed with his advisor.

"That's the unusual bit about this. Half-elf or dwarf or even Asgardian, I could understand, but this was unprecedented."

Loki took a deep breath and turned back to the healer, the blood draining from his face as she continued.

"She was half-Jotun. I was not aware that the Jotuns had a way to get to Midgard without the Ice Casket. So very, very odd," the healer remarked.

Loki nodded slowly. "Very odd indeed." It seemed as though he might be visiting Midgard a bit ahead of schedule.


	6. Chapter 6

**Ch. 6**

Skye woke up the next morning in her own bed on the Bus with Jemma peering over her.

"You're awake!" Jemma nearly shouted, excited to see Skye open her eyes. "Let me go get the others!" she exclaimed as she scampered out of the room.

Soon, the entire team was crowded inside of Skye's miniroom, almost on top of each other.

"How long was I out?" she asked as she slowly sat up in bed.

"Nearly ten days," Coulson replied. "Do you remember anything?"

"Quinn . . . he shot me . . . twice," she replied and at that, she pulled up her shirt to reveal smooth, unblemished skin. "There should be a hole or something. What happened?"

"Advanced medical techniques. If S.H.I.E.L.D. can bring me back from the dead, they can do any number of wonders. We know how to take care of our own," Coulson said with a warning glare to the rest of his team.

"Why aren't I in a hospital?" Skye asked, confused.

"Well, you had stabilized enough to be transferred, so we thought you'd rather wake up in your own bed," Coulson answered.

"We should leave," May said. "Give you some privacy."

One by one, they all filed out of Skye's room. Ward, however, stayed behind.

"I . . . we thought we'd lost you," Ward said, pulling up a chair next to her bed.

"Was it really that bad?" Skye asked tentatively.

"Yes, it was. When I thought you were gone . . . ," he took a deep breath. "I'm really glad you're okay. It was worth it."

"Worth what?" Skye asked suspiciously.

"Nothing," Ward said quickly, a false smile on his face.

"You know, for an undercover operative, you can be a lousy liar at times," Skye observed.

"How do you feel?" Ward asked, changing the subject. "I've been shot before and the recuperation is rough."

Skye had a bewildered look on her face. "That's the weird thing. I feel amazing. Like I just had the best sleep ever and I could take on the world."

"Good. Once you're feeling up to it, Coulson has a debriefing. We've got a couple of leads on the Clairvoyant and we are all itching to nail the guy," Ward said as he stood to leave.

"I'll go get ready," Skye said as she tentatively got out of bed.

"It's going to be fine, you know. Everything is alright now. You're safe with us. We won't let anything happen to you," Ward said reassuringly to Skye as he left.

Unfortunately, he was wrong.


	7. Chapter 7

**Ch. 7**

Hours later, Coulson's team was all gathered around the debriefing console going over the new information that had been sent to them about the Clairvoyant when Loki appeared behind Coulson.

"So this is where you all hatch your little plans. How very cozy. You know, if you wanted to hide away from me, you might have chosen a plane that didn't have your emblem emblazoned on it," Loki said as they all gave a start in surprise.

"Sir, is that Loki?" Ward asked sharply.

"Oh, you haven't told them about how friendly we've become? I am truly hurt," Loki said to Coulson.

"What are you doing here? We just left Asgard. What could you possibly want from me?" Coulson asked.

"Oh, it's not you I want," Loki said. He turned to Skye. "So, I take it you were born in . . . what was the name of that country? Oh, yes, China? It would be about 22, 23 years ago?"

"You told Loki," May accused, her arms crossed.

"No, I didn't," Coulson said to May. Then, slowly, realization dawned on Coulson. "No, no, no, . . . it can't be," Coulson said, fear seeping into every word as he turned to Loki.

"I never would have known of her existence if you hadn't brought her to Asgard. I really must thank you for that," Loki said as he smiled at Coulson.

"Okay, I'm a bit lost here, what with the coma and all, but why does the evil war criminal know where I was born?" Skye asked flippantly.

"You say evil war criminal; I prefer Daddy," Loki said with his arms outstretched in a sarcastic hug. "Well, I guess we're not that close just yet," he said snarkily as he dropped them.

"No . . . no . . . .no," Coulson said in anguish.

"You're my father?" Skye asked skeptically.

"It appears to be so. When your Agent Coulson brought you to Asgard, the healers ran some tests to determine your best course of treatment and that was when it was discovered that we shared the same lineage," Loki replied.

"Asgard? I thought I was in a S.H.I.E.L.D. hospital. But, but, that makes no sense. I can't be your daughter. I don't have any special powers like the other Asgardians do," Skye protested.

"Let's just say that given your mixed heritage, there's bound to be some difficulty determining exactly what you can and can't do. Most of the magic I can perform I had to learn from my mother. I suppose it will be the same with you," Loki explained.

"Mixed?" Jemma asked.

"Yes, her mother was Midgardian," Loki replied, smiling over at Jemma.

Leo took a step in front of Jemma and narrowed his eyes at Loki. Loki grinned. "Always so protective of your women. Such a noble quality. Useless, but noble, nonetheless."

"I'm not his . . ." Jemma began before clamming up.

Loki cocked an eyebrow. "You aren't? Well, you should inform your little lapdog before he bites my ankle."

"Hey, I'm not a . . . ." Leo began before Skye interrupted him.

"My mother. Tell me. Where is she?"

"Unfortunately, she most likely died in the birthing process. It can be so very difficult with these types of cross-realm romances."

"You left her to die?" Skye asked, her voice breaking.

"My dear, I had no idea that she was pregnant with you. If I had, I would have made sure that she had the best care available."

"And we should believe, why?" May deadpanned.

"I wasn't always the villain you know me as. Before all this unpleasantness began, I was a prince. I understood the value of commitment and responsibility," Loki replied.

"You know, commitment and responsibility don't seem like words I'd use in relation to you," Coulson said acerbically.

"And yet, here I am, ready to take responsibility for my offspring," Loki shot back.

"What do you mean?" Ward asked combatively.

"Just that. This young lady is my daughter. She is my responsibility. I will transport her back to Asgard so that she will have the full benefit of her royal heritage."

A chorus of shouts came from the team. "You're not going anywhere with her," Ward said firmly, his fists clenched.

"Once again, so protective of your women," Loki said to Ward. Then, he turned to Skye, "I can't say that I approve of the match, my dear, but perhaps he'll grow on me."

"Oh, he's not my . . . we're not . . . ," Skye said hastily.

"So much denial on this team, Agent Coulson. How do you all manage to ever get anything accomplished with all of these seething untapped hormones bubbling under the surface?" Loki asked.

"You are not taking Skye," Coulson said, his jaw set.

"Really? That's her name. Her adoptive uncle is known as the god of thunder and she was named Skye. It seems as though the universe has a sense of humor after all," Loki observed.

May nodded to Ward who signaled back. In a flurry of motion, they both launched themselves at Loki. Within seconds, May lay crumpled in a heap in a far corner of the lounge and Loki was lifting Ward by his throat as Ward clawed uselessly at Loki's hand.

"And, I'm considered the violent one? Really? I expected better of you. That's no way to treat your future father-in-law. Just for that, you won't get to take her to the prom," Loki said, chuckling as Ward began to turn purple from lack of oxygen.

"Stop it. Put him down," Jemma said, as she and Leo pointed night-night guns at him.

"My dear, do not test my patience. As your Agent Coulson can attest, I do not appreciate having weapons pointed at me," Loki said as he turned back to the flailing Ward.

"These weapons has been modified. They will take down an Asgardian," Leo lied.

"And what makes you think I'm an Asgardian?" Loki whispered slowly as he turned back to them, his tone low and deadly, a manic grin on his face.

"Please, please, just put him down. I'll go with you. Just don't hurt anyone else," Skye pleaded.

Loki dropped Ward, who landed bonelessly. Jemma ran to him and began to check his pulse.

"Well, it seems as though we should be on our way," Loki said, dusting his hands off.

"You are not taking her," Coulson said as he moved to stand directly in front of Loki.

"Remember the price? The price in exchange for her life? This is it. She will spend, let's say, one month in Asgard, learning all about the other half of her parentage. If, at the end of that time, she desires to return, I'll have Heimdall send her back."

"How do I know that you'll keep your end of the bargain?" Coulson shot back.

"You don't," Loki replied with a smile as both he and Skye vanished.

"She's . . . she's gone. He just took her. Now what are we going to do?" Jemma said as she and Leo helped Ward to stand.

"We're going to find Jane Foster," Coulson said determinedly.

"Why do we need to find Dr. Foster?" Leo asked as Jemma went to check on May.

"Because that's where we'll find Skye's uncle," Coulson replied.

* * *

><p><strong> Author's Note<strong>- I think Loki's "no prom" snark may be my favorite Loki line to date.


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note- **Happy Valentine's Day, dear readers! Thank you so much for all of the lovely reviews! Each and every one brings a smile to my face. Thank you.

* * *

><p><strong>Ch. 8<strong>

Skye looked around her. Everything on the Bus looked hazy and all the sound seemed muffled, distant.

The only thing that stood out in sharp detail was Loki standing next to her in black and green, wearing leather and metal.

"What's happening?" Skye asked as she dimly saw the members of her team look straight through her.

"It appears to them as though we have transported off of this plane. In reality, I have used a simple cloaking spell. They can neither see nor hear us."

Skye tentatively reached out her hand to touch Coulson, when Loki grabbed it.

"I wouldn't do that, my dear. It is rather unsettling to be touched by someone who isn't there and, given how jumpy they are, they just might shoot you on accident," Loki warned gravely before letting go.

Skye dropped her hand. "Now what?"

"We go to Asgard for one month. I will answer all your questions about your family that I can and, if at the end of that month, you wish to come back to Midgard, I will have Heimdall return you."

Skye stood there for a moment, taking a deep breath. The possibility of getting the answers to all her questions was beyond tempting.

"Alright," she said, nodding her head. "So, how do we get to Asgard?"

"Well, we should leave this plane before it takes off. I've found that's it's easiest that way," he said sardonically. "Then, we will procure a vehicle to take us back to the Bifrost portal."

"What did you use to get here?"

"A taxi," Loki replied with a smirk.

"You took a taxi from the Bifrost portal to here?"

"Well, no, not exactly. I cloaked myself in the back of one of the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent's vehicles that were guarding the site. Once she had arrived at decent sized city, I procured a taxi to take me to the nearest airfield. It was rather tiresome."

"How did you know to go to an airfield?" Skye asked, unsettled.

"The agent and her partner went on and on about a message for Agent Coulson left at the Bifrost site. They speculated that he may be behind a pair of recent attacks on the site that left several agents unconscious. It seems his plane had been spotted in the vicinity."

_So that was what Ward had meant when he said it was worth it. They had knocked out all of those agents to get us to and from Asgard_, Skye thought. _They risked so much for me_.

"So you've got no way to get us back to the portal site?"

"I spied several vehicles in the cargo bay. We'll take one of those. The red one looked particularly appealing, if not very practical."

"Lola? You can't take Lola. Coulson loves that car," Skye said.

"It is Coulson's vehicle? Well, then, that settles it. That's the one we'll take. Now, where are the keys?"

"I can't let you steal Coulson's car," Skye said firmly, her arms crossed.

"We will merely borrowing the vehicle. I am not taking that monstrosity to Asgard. Now, run along and go get the keys before the plane takes off. Parachuting off of this plane is not how I envisioned this day ending."

Skye hesitated a moment before nodding her head.

"Before you go, the man that injured you, he is on this transport, is he not?"

"Yes, he's in the interrogation room," Skye said, her lip curled in disgust.

"Hmm. Interesting. Well, you really should hurry along."

Skye raced to Coulson's office and searched Coulson's desk for his keys. Once she finally found them, she hastily wrote out the words, "Sorry about Lola," on a Post-It note and left it where the keys had been laying before returning to Loki's side in the main lounge.

"Do you know how to drive?" Skye asked Loki.

"No, my dear. I'll let you do the honors. We should depart," Loki said, turning back towards the cargo bay and wiping his hands on his leather pants.

Skye settled into the driver's seat of Lola as Loki sat on the passenger side. "Won't they see the car drive away?" she asked.

"That's why we have a spell, my dear," he replied and, with a snap of his fingers, he cloaked the vehicle.

"You've got to teach me how to do that," Skye said, grinning in spite of herself as she turned on the vehicle.

"All in due time. All in due time. Now, we really should be going before they decide to close the cargo bay doors and depart," Loki urged.

Skye hesitated for a moment, then nodded as she backed the car out. She hoped that she wasn't making a big mistake.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note<strong>- By the way, I just wanted to give a big shoutout to** Flaignhan, **a wonderful author on this site. Thank you! If you like Blackfrost or Sherlolly stories, hers are amazing.


	9. Chapter 9

**Ch. 9**

Once Ward and May were up and moving, Leo went to go track down Dr. Foster. He wasn't a hacker like Skye, but it wasn't as if Dr. Foster were in hiding. S.H.I.E.L.D. knew that she was living in her mother's apartment in England. She hadn't moved since the destruction that happened there a few months ago. Within a few minutes, he had found all of her contact information and was on his way back to the lounge, when he passed the monitor with the live feed from the interrogation area.

"Guys, guys!" he yelled and Coulson and Simmons ran to his side.

"What is it, Fitz?" Coulson asked.

"Look, there's something wrong with Quinn," Leo said, pointing to the monitor.

Coulson peered at the screen and saw Quinn slumped over in his chair. "Great. This is all we need," he said. "May, are you up to coming with me?" Coulson called down the corridor. He had promised himself to never be alone in the same room with Quinn, because he honestly didn't know what he'd do to him.

May came up behind him and said, "Yes, I'm fine. Just got the wind knocked out of me."

"Okay, let's go," Coulson said as they headed to the interrogation room.

When they entered, Quinn was seated in the same chair he was always in, his face resting on the table. His eyes were closed and he was breathing shallowly. Coulson had honestly forgotten all about him with all of the excitement with Loki.

May gingerly pushed Quinn upright and gasped softly when she saw his shirt soaked in blood. "He's bleeding badly. Simmons, we're bringing him to the lab."

Coulson and May awkwardly carried him to the lab and set him down on a long table. Simmons approached, wincing at first and then gamely started to cut off his shirt to look at his wounds.

"I can't believe we're saving the guy that shot Skye," Leo said bitterly as he entered the lab.

"We need him to find the Clairvoyant. What I want to know is how he got in this state," Coulson said.

"You do you think?" May asked.

"Loki? But why?" Coulson asked.

"I might have the answer. He has two wounds. They look like they were made by a short knife or dagger. They're not very deep," Jemma said.

"And?" Coulson prompted.

"They are in exactly the same places as Skye was shot," Jemma responded.

"Huh," Coulson said, a bit surprised.

"It seems he had a dim view of the man who attacked his daughter," May said.

"Well, we finally have something in common. Simmons, can you patch him up?" Coulson asked.

"Yes, sir. But, we really should take him to a hospital."

"I don't think so. We know how easy it is to break someone out of a S.H.I.E.L.D. hospital," Coulson grinned. "Wait. Where's Ward?"

"Resting in his room. I gave him a sedative," Jemma said evasively.

"Simmons, did he know you were giving him a sedative?" Coulson asked slowly.

"Yes, sir . . . However, it may have been a teensy bit stronger than I had told him it would be," Jemma confessed.

"Simmons, why did you drug Ward?" May asked severely.

"He was manic about trying to get Skye back. After his fight with Loki, he was in no shape to leave the plane. I did what I could to stop him before he took a car and drove off to who knows where."

"That's the last thing we need," Coulson said.

"Oh and about that, sir," Simmons said meekly. "You should check the cargo bay."

"No . . . what did he do to my baby?" Coulson asked as he left the lab in a jog, May at his heels.

When he got there, he looked around and his heart sank. "Where's Lola?"


	10. Chapter 10

**Ch. 10**

Skye landed heavily next to Loki. She felt both nauseated and feverish at the same time. Traveling via the Bifrost was like going through a kaleidoscope and a roller coaster at the the same time. She sank to her knees, panting heavily.

"Are you quite alright, my dear?" Loki asked, crouching down next to her, his hand resting lightly on her back as she fought back against the desire to vomit all over his leather boots.

"Is it always like that?" she asked between gasps.

"The first time is rather . . . . intense, especially for a mortal. But, there's no need to fret. You need never repeat the experience."

"One month. One month and then I'm going back," Skye said firmly as she struggled to her feet, allowing Loki to help her to stand.

"As you wish," he replied.

As she stood, she saw one of the most beautiful men she had ever seen staring down at her on a raised dais, his hands grasping a long sword hovering over some device in the middle of the room.

"Heimdall, let me introduce to my daughter, Princess Skye. Skye, this is Heimdall. He watches over all the realms and guards Asgard."

"Your Highness," Heimdall said, inclining his head.

"Hi," Skye said nervously, giving Heimdall a little wave. She turned to Loki, "Princess?"

He smiled at her. "That is the correct term for the daughter of a king, is it not?"

Skye's eyes widened at the thought. Earlier that morning she was an orphan with no knowledge of her parents and now she was a half-alien princess. She didn't know if she'd be able to take any more surprises.

"Have the horses been readied?" Loki asked Heimdall.

"They are already on the bridge, your Majesty," Heimdall said as he nodded.

"Excellent. Let us be on our way then," Loki said as he began walking towards the door.

"Thank you, Heimdall," she said as she left.

"You are most welcome, your Highness," Heimdall said, his face engulfed in a blinding smile.

As Skye stepped onto the bridge, she saw a contingent of armored soldiers and horses waiting for them. Loki easily mounted a large white stallion. She blanched when she saw that it had eight legs.

Loki reached down and patted its neck. "It is Sleipnir, Odin's steed. With Odin indisposed, I decided to appropriate him. He is a rather unique animal."

"I can see," Skye said weakly as she noticed that the rest of the horses on the bridge were sporting only four legs. "I . . . I don't know how to ride a horse," she admitted as a guard ushered towards a black mare.

"You do not?" Loki asked, perplexed.

"Nope. Horse-riding lessons weren't a big priority at the orphanage," she ground out through clenched teeth a bit more bitterly than she had intended to.

Loki winced at that. "I see. Well, we shall endeavour to rectify the gaps in your education. At present, you can ride with one of the guards."

A guard motioned Skye over to the horse. He laced his fingers together and bent over to help give her a boost onto the animal. Skye took a deep breath and then placed one foot in his hands and swung her other leg over. The force of momentum nearly made her fall off the other side of the beast, but she held on tightly to the saddle and righted herself. The guard leapt onto the back of the horse and grabbed the reins.

"Off we go to your new home," Loki announced cheerily as they began to ride.

"Temporary home," Skye corrected as she held on tightly to the guard's waist, sure that she was going to fall off the horse and into the abyss below.

0000

Between the naustating journey via the Bifrost and the rough horseback ride to the palace, Skye was exhausted, pale and shaky. Loki looked at her with concern as they dismounted and made their way through the palace's outer doors. "My dear, you do look quite fatigued and it is already rather late. I'll have you shown to your rooms and you'll be able to rest until morning."

She was about to protest when another wave of nausea hit her and she just nodded feebly before following a servant that Loki had waved over.

"Good night, my dear. I'll see you in the morning," Loki said to her retreating form.

Skye didn't really know what to do or say and so, she settled for silence. She walked through endless corridors and felt completely disoriented in the maze-like palace.

"Here we are, your Highness," the servant said to Skye as she opened the door for her to an opulent room. Skye had to stifle a giggle. It was at least fifteen times as big as the miniroom she had on the Bus. It was covered in rich, silken drapes and ornate tapestries. There was a long flowing white gown on the huge bed that dominated the room.

"His Majesty ordered that you be outfitted befitting your station. If you'll allow me, I can take your Midgardian clothes to be . . . cleaned," the servant said, sniffing contemptuously at the jeans and T-shirt that Skye wore.

She nodded slowly. She picked up the nightgown, went into the adjoining bathroom, which was, thankfully, fairly similar to what she was used to, and changed. When she emerged, she handed her clothes over to the young woman.

"Thank you . . . Um, what's your name?" Skye asked.

"Arnleif, your Highness."

"Thank you, Arnleif."

"Do you require anything else? I have laid out a light repast as well as refreshments, but I can bring more food or drink from the kitchens, if you'd like."

Skye saw a tray that had been placed on a far table, laden down with what looked like different types of breads, fruit and some other unrecognizable foods.

"No, no. That's okay. Thank you."

"You are quite welcome, your Highness. If that will be all, I will turn in for the night."

"Yes, thank you."

"You are most welcome. Another servant will be by in the morning to attend you. Good night, Your Highness."

"Good night, Arnleif."

Skye prowled around her room. She couldn't believe the size of it. She felt a bit overwhelmed and thought about her team for a moment. They would be so worried about her. She briefly regretted her decision to come to Asgard. What had she done?

But then, she thought of all those nights at the orphanage or at a new foster family's house, looking up at the sky, wondering if her parents were staring at the same stars. She took a deep breath and walked over to the large window and looked up to the night sky and spent almost an hour just looking up, trying to figure out which one was one the Earth orbited.

00000

"She's up there, somewhere, and she's all alone, stuck with an insane murderer. I couldn't stop him, Fitz. I couldn't protect her. Again," Ward said, looking up at the stars as they both stood outside the Bus, hands jammed in their pockets to ward off the cold.

"We'll get her back," Leo said, but his voice lacked conviction.

"Will we?" Ward said as he turned to walk slowly back to the plane. "It took all of the Avengers to defeat Loki the last time and, in the end, he still became a king. It was all for nothing."

"Yes, well. We have something that the Avengers didn't have," Leo said.

"And what's that?" Ward said sceptically.

"Me," said a petite woman as she walked into view. "Hi, I'm Dr. Foster."


	11. Chapter 11

**Ch. 11**

"And me!" said a curvaceous brunette, trailing Dr. Foster . "What's up? I'm Darcy," she said, winking at Ward.

All of a sudden, there was a loud thud in the dark and, a few seconds later, they finally made out an armor-clad mountain of a man as he approached. "Where is the man called Fitz?" He bellowed.

"That would be m . . . m . . . me, sir" Leo sputtered nervously as he raised his hand.

"It was you that sent the message about my brother?" Thor asked.

"Yes."

"You must be mistaken. My brother is dead. Jane and I saw him die. I attended his funeral on Asgard," Thor said.

"Oh, he's alive. Maybe not for long, but he's alive," Ward said bitingly.

"Why don't we go inside the Bus and we'll discuss it with Agent Coulson?" Fitz suggested anxiously.

"Son of Coul? He is dead, also. He was killed before my very eyes by my brother," Thor said, confusion coloring every word.

"Yeah, about that . . . ," Ward began as he followed the group towards the plane.

000000

Skye couldn't sleep. She spent hours tossing and turning. If she thought traveling internationally gave her bad jet lag, she discovered that travelling intergalactically was much, much worse. She finally gave up and decided to explore the palace a little. She put a light matching robe over her nightgown and began to wander aimlessly down the halls. After half an hour, she realized with a start that she had completely forgotten where her room was.

She didn't want to wake anyone up, but neither did she want to spend the next several hours in a corridor. Just as she was about to knock on a random door for help, she held footsteps behind her.

She turned and saw an attractive man with a goatee striding towards her. His hair was tousled and the buttons on his shirt were mismatched. He was looking down, so he didn't see her at first as he whistled tunelessly to himself.

"Oh, hi, could you help me?" she asked tentatively.

He stopped and looked up at her, a smile gracing his face. He reminded her a bit of the actor from The Princess Bride, very dashing and intense, more the Dread Pirate Roberts phase, not so much the sweet farmboy.

"Oh, it would be my utmost pleasure, my dear, to assist so lovely a lady. Fandral, at your service," he said as he bowed low.

Skye was not entirely comfortable with the way he was looking at her. "Hi, I'm Skye. I just need to find my way back to my room," she said

"Returning from a secret assignation?" he asked, cocking his head and giving her a rakish smile.

"A secret. . . . No! I'm just jetlagged and I couldn't sleep and why is this palace built like the Labyrinth?" she asked quickly, bunching up the fabric of her nightgown nervously.

"You do speak rather oddly. I take that you are not from Asgard?" he inquired lightly.

"No, Earth, actually," she admitted with a wan smile.

"Ah, Midgard. It is home to such beautiful women. Well, Lady Skye, I would be more than happy to escort you back to your rooms."

"Oh, I'm not a lady . . . although, I guess, technically, I am a princess."

"A princess of Midgard. What a treat," he replied slowly, his tone low and suggestive.

"No. Of Asgard." She took a deep breath. "Loki told me that he's my dad."

There was a sharp intake of breath from Fandral. "Of course, that would be my luck. I meet the loveliest woman I have seen in centuries and she ends up being Loki's daughter."

"You . . . you don't like him, do you?"

Fandral pursed his lips. "I wouldn't quite say that. I've known him for centuries. Let's just say that our history is rather complicated." He paused for a moment, stroking his goatee thoughtfully. "I can, however, help you in your present predicament. I heard the maidservants talking earlier about readying a room for a royal visitor in the east wing. Allow me to escort you there," he said, offering his arm.

"Okay, thanks," Skye said as she took it.

0000

Within ten minutes, they were at the door to Skye's room. Fandral had kept Skye entertained with tales of the adventures he had embarked on with Loki, Thor, Sif and the rest of the Warriors Three. They had visited several different realms in their quest to defend and protect Asgard. She laughed so hard at some of the stories that they had to stop several times for her to catch her breath.

"Oh, here it is," she said as she finally recognized the door to her room. She reluctantly let go of his arm. "Thank you so much."

"You are most welcome, your Highness. Please believe me when I say that the pleasure was all mine," he said as he caught her hand and kissed it as he bowed deeply.

"G . . . good night," she stuttered, trying to collect her thoughts.

"I trust that you will have the most pleasant of dreams. I know I shall," he said and he turned and sauntered away.

All of sudden, staying in Asgard for a month didn't seem so bad.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note<strong>- For all of my SkyeWard fans, do not fear. If you've read "They Think I Don't Know", you know where my heart truly lies. If you haven't read it, go; read it, I promise you'll like it!


	12. Chapter 12

**Ch. 12**

Coulson was pacing the floor of his office, on the phone with Director Fury. "Sir, this situation is beyond what we can deal with. We need backup. Is Agent Barton available?"

"Barton is on a sabbatical," Director Fury said tersely.

"Sabbatical?" Coulson repeated.

"Have you heard about Dr. Selvig, Agent Coulson? That man has been in and out of mental institutions for well over a year. And all he did was build a machine for Loki. Barton killed people for him. Agents he knew. He was an usher at one of their weddings. And no matter how many people tell him that it isn't his fault, he still carries that. Hell, yes, he's on sabbatical. And the last thing I'd ever do to him is put him back in the field with anything related to Loki," he ranted, his voice rising with every word.

"Well, what about Stark or Rogers or Romanoff or, even Dr. Banner?" Coulson asked, his tone matching Fury's.

"You know, I hate to break it to you, but you're not the only team we have. We've already spent millions of dollars and hundreds of man-hours to bring you back from the dead, to rescue you from the Clairvoyant. I mean, do you think the Clairvoyant is only enemy we have? If you really want to know, Agent Coulson, I have the rest of the Avengers running down leads on the newest Hydra weapons facility. Hydra's been leaking false information and then been rigging abandoned warehouses left and right with explosives. Every time one of our teams gets there, we lose another group of agents. I've lost fifteen operatives this week alone. Fifteen. That's fifteen new names on the Wall of Valor. That's fifteen spouses I've had to talk to. Fifteen sets of grieving parents I've had to deal with. So I'm sorry if you're having a bad day 'cause a consultant of yours ran off with her daddy," his voice dripping with a mixture of sarcasm and anger.

"It's Loki, sir."

"Oh, don't worry, I know it's Loki. And remind me once again how he even found out about her? Oh, yeah, you broke her out of a S.H.I.E.L.D. facility and knocked out a slew of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents at the Bifrost site, twice I might add. You're lucky that someone wasn't seriously injured or killed in this little escapade of yours. You went completely off the rails on this one, Coulson. I can't cover for you. Even I have bosses," Director Fury growled.

"We need help, sir. We need to get her back," Coulson pleaded earnestly .

"What you need is to be grateful I haven't thrown you and your entire team in the brig. Asgard? Really? What the hell was wrong with you? You thought it was a good idea to bring all that down on our heads again?"

"I was desperate, sir."

"Well, look at what your desperation has caused. Effective immediately, you and your team are on leave. You deal with this problem on your own, Agent Coulson. Once you can focus on your job, we'll see about having you come back."

"Sir . . . " Coulson began.

"Was I being unclear, Agent? And while you're at it, you need to transfer custody of your prisoner to the nearest S.H.I.E.L.D. facility."

"Sir, I can't do that," Coulson said. "He could lead us to the Clairvoyant."

"I am sure I heard you wrong. I am sure I did not just hear you refuse a direct order. Let me be very clear with you, Agent Coulson, hand over Ian Quinn to the nearest S.H.I.E.L.D. facility within 24 hours or I'm confiscating the plane," Director Fury snapped before hanging up.

A moment later, May came in his office to see him sitting, his face in his hands, clutching the note Skye had left him about Lola.

"What did Director Fury say?" May asked, sure that she already knew the answer from the look on his face.

"We're on our own. We're lucky we're not in prison for the stunts we've pulled so far," he said, his voice shaking. "He's right. I did this. I tried to help Skye, but she'd be better off in a coma than stuck with that lunatic. This whole mess is my fault."

May crossed the room to him, crouching down to face him. "You did the best that you could to save her. You risked it all. You did the right thing," she said, embracing him as he began to break down.

At that moment, Ward entered the room. "They're here . . ." he trailed off as he saw them in each other's arms.

May stood up quickly and Coulson hastily straightened his tie. "Who's here?" he asked Ward.

"Thor, Dr. Foster and her assistant," Ward replied stiffly.

"Thanks. We'll be right out," Coulson said curtly.

Ward lingered, his teeth clenched.

"Do you have anything to add?" May asked sharply.

"No, I guess I don't," Ward tensely said as he turned on heel and stalked out to the room.

"You said that you two being together wasn't going to cause a problem. He looked like he was about to slug me. That's my definition of a problem," Coulson said carefully as he stood.

"No, I said if it caused a problem, I'd end it," May said slowly as she exhaled and followed Coulson as he walked out into the lounge.

00000

"Son of Coul, my dear friend, I thought you dead," Thor said, as he enveloped Coulson in a bear hug and lifted him a few inches off the ground. The lounge was crowded with the rest of Coulson's team as well as Jane and Darcy.

"Yeah, I get that a lot," Coulson said dryly as Thor released him.

"What is this about my brother? Are you absolutely sure that it was him?" Thor asked gravely.

"I don't tend to forget people who kill me," Coulson replied.

"And you say he made off with a young lady, a member of your team?" Thor asked.

"Yes, I suppose I should catch you up," Coulson said and he briefly recapped the past few weeks for them.

Once he had finished, Thor looked at Coulson thoughtfully, briefly shaking his head. "This makes no sense. You say that Loki claimed that he was this young lady's father before disappearing with her?"

"Yes."

"Was there anything special or unique about this young woman that might have attracted Loki's notice while she was on Asgard?" Thor asked.

"No," Ward said. "I mean, she's a great hacker, but she's just a normal person."

Coulson took a deep breath. "That's not entirely true," he paused and felt the weight of the stares on him. "As a baby, she was designated an 084. The village where she was found and most of the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents sent to retrieve her were massacred. One agent that did survive had her put in the orphanage and she was moved every few months to protect her from whoever was coming after her."

"She. . . she asked me if I knew of a person being an 084. I said it was possible, but that I'd hate to meet the guy," Leo said, shakily. Jemma, who was standing next to him, squeezed his arm in sympathy.

"An 084?" Jane asked.

"An object of unknown origin," Jemma said.

"So, there could have been something unusual about her that the healers discovered when they treated her on Asgard? Something that might have attracted Loki's attention?" Thor asked.

"I suppose. Why?" Coulson asked.

"Because before the Chitauri invasion, Loki had not visited Midgard in over three hundred years. He cannot possibly be her father."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note<strong>- With this chapter, I've officially crossed over with **"The Captain's Bride"**, the other story that I'm currently writing. If you want to find out what is causing all these problems for S.H.I.E.L.D. and keeping Rogers, Romanoff, Stark and Banner so busy, check out** "The Captain's Bride"** and please, please let me know how you like it. It has action, romance, angst and quite a few shoutouts for Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D since they are all working in the same organization.


	13. Chapter 13

**Ch. 13**

Skye stretched as she woke up and immediately, she felt something was off. She was not in her tiny twin bed on the Bus. As she sat up, wary, it all came rushing back to her; waking up from her coma, finding out that Loki was her father, the absolutely horrible Bifrost trip, meeting Fandral. She blushed a bit at the last memory, momentarily looking down at the hand he had kissed.

As she got out of bed, she looked around the room once more, a bit taken aback still at its size and elegance. She felt so much better than the night before. It had been an overwhelming 24 hours, but she was finally starting to get her footing.

There was a knock at her door. She went to unlock it and saw a young woman, who bowed deeply. "I bid you a good morning, your Highness. I am Halla. I have been sent to attend you."

Skye briefly debated with herself. On the one hand, she didn't feel comfortable having someone fuss over her. On the other, if there's one thing she learned from relentlessly binge-watching Downton Abbey with Jemma, it's that servants are the best source of gossip and information in a house.

"Come right in, Halla. Now, I'd rather you just call me Skye, but I bet you won't do that."

Halla looked absolutely scandalized at the suggestion. "No, your Highness, I just couldn't."

Skye nodded. Yet another fun fact she had learned from Downton Abbey; the servants were sometimes bigger sticklers about propriety than their bosses.

"Well, it was worth a try."

"Would you like me to draw you a bath and set out your clothes, your Highness?" Halla inquired.

"Okay, sure," Skye said reluctantly. She hadn't had someone draw her a bath or pick out her clothes since she was four. She stood there, biting her lip, while Halla busied herself collecting everything she needed.

"While you're bathing, I'll return last night's tray to the kitchens."

"Oh, I can do that," Skye offered.

"It is my duty and my pleasure, your Highness," Halla said firmly. "It looks like your bath is ready. I'll lay some towels out for you as well."

Skye nodded. Halla left to collect the dirty dishes and Skye entered the bathroom to take one of the most heavenly baths in her life. She had seen hot tubs that were smaller than the tub in her bathroom. The water was delicately scented with some type of essential oil that she couldn't quite place.

After her bath, she quickly dressed herself, trying to finish the last buttons on the gown that had been laid out for her when Halla knocked once again.

"Come in," Skye said breathlessly as she twisted awkwardly to get the buttons on the back of her dress.

"Oh, your Highness, you should have waited for me. I would have assisted you."

"Yeah, that's never going to happen. I mean, thanks for the help, but I don't need any assistance getting my clothes on," Skye said, sounding a bit more frustrated that she should have.

"I . . . I understand, your Highness," Halla said slowly, her head down and Skye could tears in her voice. _Great, now I've made her cry, _Skye thought. Skye felt horrible.

"Look it's okay. No worries. Um, why don't you help me get the last few buttons on my dress."

Halla brightened up and nodded. "It would be my pleasure. Shall I do your hair?" she asked eagerly.

Skye winced, but she felt bad enough as it was for giving the servant a hard time. "Alright, something simple and quick."

"I have just the thing, your Highness," Halla said as she guided Skye to sit in front of a large wooden dresser with a beautiful inlaid mirror on it.

Skye smiled to herself. If she had to suffer through someone fiddling with her hair, she could at least get some good intel from the experience. Having Ward as an S.O. had taught her to try to find every opportunity to gather information.

"So, tell me about my dad. When did he become king?"

"After our previous king went into Odinsleep once again . . .," Halla began.

"Wait, Odin went into Odinsleep? What's Odinsleep?"

"It is a deep restorative sleep that King Odin must endure so that he can be revitalized and continue his reign," Halla explained as she twisted the locks of Skye's hair this way and that.

"And he can't wake up?"

"No, he cannot. Not until he is fully restored. He may be in that state for decades or perhaps a century or two. The death of his wife and the war with Malekith were too much for him. He pushed himself beyond his limits," Halla said.

"His wife is dead?" Skye said plaintively. She felt a bit odd, grieving for someone she never knew. She felt as though she had found and lost both grandparents in a matter of moments.

"Yes, Queen Frigga. It was a devastating blow. Your grandmother was beloved by the people."

Skye thought for a moment. Loki had lost his mother only a few months ago. A woman he had known for a thousand years. She felt a pang of sympathy for him. She knew, better than anyone, what it felt like to not have a parent.

"So, Loki's the king until Odin comes out of his coma," Skye asked.

"Yes, until King Odin awakens," Halla confirmed.

"And what does everyone think of Loki as king?" Skye asked, hoping that the question sounded innocuous.

Halla stiffened. "Your father is a just and wise ruler," she said evasively.

Skye could tell that Halla had shut down and that she'd get no more useful information from her.

"How do you like it, your Highness?" Halla asked as she handed Skye a mirror so that she could see the back of her hair. Skye smiled at the intricate knots that the woman had accomplished. She could study hairdressing for the rest of her life and not be able to recreate it.

"Thank you, Halla. It's beautiful."

Halla preened under the weight of the praise. "You are so very welcome, your Highness. Now that you've gotten ready, the king has requested your presence for breakfast."

Skye sighed as she stood and straightened her shoulders.

It was time to get some answers.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note<strong>- I am so very pleased that so many of you have started reading my other story, "The Captain's Bride" too! Thank you all for the sweet reviews; I can't tell you how happy I am that you are enjoying the story so much!


	14. Chapter 14

**Ch. 14**

Skye gave a start of surprise when she emerged from her room and saw Fandral leaning against a nearby column, obviously waiting for her. He beamed when he saw her.

"Your Highness, you look even more fetching than you did last night. I am quite overwhelmed by your beauty," he said as he approached and kissed her hand once again in greeting.

"How about you call me Skye and I call you Fandral?" she suggested, trying to lighten the mood.

"I would cherish such intimacy with you," he said suggestively, offering his arm. "Please, allow me the pleasure of escorting you to breakfast, my dear Skye."

Skye stiffened a bit before slipping her arm in his. She had misstepped by insisting that he call her by her first name, since obviously, on Asgard, it was a mark of affection. It wasn't that she wasn't attracted to him. It wasn't that she wasn't flattered by such obvious attention. It was that she wasn't intending on remaining on Asgard and she felt bad about leading him on.

On the other hand, Ward had drilled in her, more than once, the importance of cultivating assets when you work as an operative. She had the unprecedented opportunity to not only find out answers to her past, but to also gather intel on one of Earth's greatest enemies, her own father. If that meant using Fandral's infatuation for her to get information, then maybe it would be worth it.

"Fandral, perhaps you can help me?" she asked as they walked along the corridors together.

"Anything, my dear Skye," he replied, obviously enamored with the idea of being granted the privilege of using her first name.

"I thought that Loki was dead. That he died during the war with Malekith. But, here he is, on the throne."

He grimaced slightly. "It was believed, for a time, that Loki had perished, sacrificing himself. But, in the end, it was merely another one of his tricks. He's a great one for illusion. So, when Odin went into Odinsleep once again, Loki presented himself to the chief counsel of advisors as the only suitable ruler. Thor had abdicated the throne to remain on Midgard and the line of succession technically fell to Loki."

"Technically?" she asked.

"Well, Loki had been under a lifetime sentence of imprisonment. However, Odin had never officially disowned Loki, despite all his crimes."

"So that's it? All is forgiven for what he did on Earth?" Skye asked bitterly. She had seen the footage, read the S.H.I.E.L.D. files, heard all about the devastation left behind in his mad grab for power.

"Hardly. There are many on Asgard that still are not comfortable with Loki as our king. However, he has been very . . . adept in ruling these past few months. Asgard has had a difficult year. There has been much upheaval, so many lives have been lost. Our relationship with the other realms was precarious at best when Loki took the throne. Loki excels at diplomacy. I must admit; it is . . . what is that Midgardian expression? Oh yes, his strong suit. Sometimes, we must focus on the greater good and push away our personal feelings."

Skye was a bit surprised to hear anything good about her father.

"Ah, here we are," he said as they stopped in front of a set of immense doors. "I would escort you in, but I believe your father would take a dim view of us together. I hope I will have the pleasure of seeing you again very, very soon, my dear Skye," as he bowed low and kissed her hand.

"Yeah, see you soon, Fandral," she said, giving him a little wave and a brief smile as he turned and walked away. A servant opened the massive doors for her and Skye mentally prepared herself for brunch with her genocidal father. She hoped at least the food was good.

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><p><strong>Author's Note<strong>- I usually wait until the end of the story to say this, but I just couldn't wait! Thank you so very much for every single follow, favorite and review! I can't tell you how much it spurs me on to write more and more for you To be honest, I had thought this was going to be a four or five chapter story, but all of your encouragement has really motivated me. Thank you, dear readers from the bottom of my heart.


	15. Chapter 15

**Ch. 15**

As Skye entered the massive chamber, she spied Loki at the far end of a long table, a place setting in front of him and one to his right. She walked over to the table and was surprised when Loki stood and pulled out the chair for her.

"Good morning, my dear. I trust you slept well," he said as he nodded to a servant who poured a reddish liquid into Skye's goblet. She picked it up, sniffed it and tasted the drink. It was some type of overly sweet juice. She drank a bit and tried to hid her dislike with a wan smile.

"Uh . . . I slept fine. I take it there's no coffee?" she asked, letting the disappointment color every word.

"No, we have no equivalent on Asgard for that bitter brew. Why do Midgardians feel the need to drug themselves every morning to merely make it through the day? Are your lives truly that wretched that you cannot exist without some medicinal intervention?" Loki sneered haughtily.

Skye rolled her eyes. "You have clearly never worked a five a.m. shift. Coffee is liquid gold. You know, if you're trying to convince me to stay on Asgard, dissing my favorite morning beverage isn't really the way to go."

Loki huffed. He nodded to one of the attendants and soon her plate was filled with different types of cheeses, fruits, and pastries. She was bit nervous about trying what was in front of her, but the food from the night before had been delectable, so she dug in and was once again pleasantly surprised at how good Asgardian food was. Some of the pastries were filled with a sweetened thick cream and berries and others were filled with nuts and a honey-like glaze. The cheese was mild and creamy, its consistency reminding Skye of goat cheese. The fruits consisted of a variety of light green and gold berries that vaguely tasted like blueberries.

"You seem to be rather enjoying your breakfast," Loki pointed out smugly.

Skye looked over at Loki's plate and saw that he had barely begun to eat, while she had practically inhaled her food. It was a holdover from the days of constantly fighting the other kids for food at the orphanage or at a foster family's home. She had learned the hard way that if you didn't eat quickly, sometimes you didn't eat. She blushed and shifted uncomfortably when she realized she must seem like an uncivilized ingrate.

"Sorry," she said as she swallowed the last mouthful of food. "I was hungry and the food was incredible."

"I am glad to see that you are adjusting to life on Asgard. There is, however, something that we must discuss."

"There's a lot we need to discuss," she said.

"You were seen last night and again, this morning, in the company of Fandral," Loki began gravely.

Skye's eyes widened in surprise. Servant gossip was fast, indeed.

"I have known Fandral for several centuries. He has many good qualities. He is a superb fighter. He is completely loyal to Asgard. He is incredibly pleasant company," Loki continued.

Skye was about to interrupt him, when he held up a hand to silence her. "However, he is an inveterate womanizer. He has romanced his way through the Nine Realms, leaving a trail of broken hearts in his wake. I would not have you added to his list of discarded conquests. No matter what he says to you, no matter what he promises, know this; the only way it ends is with you in tears."

"Thanks, Dad," Skye said, sarcastically. "I'll make sure to keep away from him."

_Like I'd give up a great source of information_, Skye thought. _I'll just have to be a bit more sneaky._

"So, are you going to tell me about my past? About my mother?"

"Let's leave your mother to a later date, shall we?" Loki said tightly.

"Okay, why don't you tell me what made you go over to the Dark side of the Force?"

"The what?" Loki stared at her as if she were speaking gibberish.

"Sorry, it's just a bit rough having Darth Vader as a dad. I mean, you were a prince for over a thousand years and then, you just lost it. What made you get all homicidal?"

Loki stiffened at her words. "I suppose you deserve the truth. Let's see. Thor was set to be crowned king of Asgard. I knew it was a poor decision on Odin's part. Thor was war-mongering and brash, quick to anger, always ready to brawl. There were so many times when I could have easily talked us out of a situation, but it ended in blows because of his impulsiveness. Even after a thousand years, he never learned the true meaning of what it meant to rule."

"I made sure that the coronation was interrupted by a band of Jotuns so that Odin would see what a poor choice Thor was for the throne. Thor insisted on going to Jotunheim in retaliation, against Odin's wishes, and once again, when I could have easily talked us out of a confrontation, Thor was goaded into battle. We nearly lost Fandral because of his foolishness and Odin banished him to Midgard for leading us to the brink of war."

"It was on Jotunheim where I discovered my true parentage," Loki said.

"Oh, yeah, you said that Thor was my adoptive uncle," Skye said.

"Yes, well, it seems that Odin stole a baby from Jotunheim and decided to raise him as his own child. He lied to me for a thousand years, letting me believe . . ." his voice trailed off, bitterness tingeing every word.

"I was in the process of ridding the universe of the Jotuns, I suppose in a childish attempt to impress Odin, to prove that I was worthy, when Thor returned from Midgard. We fought and, in the end, I was cast off of the Bifrost and I fell into the abyss until Thanos caught me," Loki's face darkened at the last word.

"At that point, I was half out of my mind with rage and grief. Thanos and his henchmen used rather 'unpleasant' means to convince me that I could finally have a throne, even if it wasn't on Asgard. They required unswerving loyalty and I was constantly reminded of the price of failure."

"And that's when you came to Earth," Skye said, her heart sinking.

"Yes, that's when I came to your planet."

"But, you did fail. The Avengers stopped you," she pointed out, perplexed.

"That they did," Loki admitted.

"So, this Thanos guy. Is he going to come back for you?"

Loki swallowed hard and then tried to hide it by giving her a smug smile. "Perhaps. I'm not too worried about it."

"Is that why you want to be king? So that you'll have an army to protect you?" Skye pressed.

Loki's eyes narrowed. "I deserve this throne. I spent a thousand years in loyal service to Asgard. I was told that I was born to be a king. And now, I am one."

"So, back up a bit, if you're actually Jotun, then am I . . . .?"

"Half-Jotun, yes. You see, my dear, we are quite similar; we were both robbed of our birth families."

"There's a bit of a difference, though. You got to live your life as a pampered prince in a palace. Servants fawning over you, the best foods, the finest clothes, parents who loved you, a brother that still defends you to this day, even after all that you've done. I, on the other hand, once went two days without being fed as a child. Another time, I went to school day after day for a week wearing the exact same outfit since that was all I had. I got bullied constantly when I was a kid, always the outcast, the one without a family. And, before S.H.I.E.L.D. took me in, I was living in my van. So, forgive me if I don't weep over the fact that you got adopted into a royal family that adored you," Skye said as she shook from anger.

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><p><strong>Author's Note<strong>- For those of you who've watched both **Thor** and** Avengers**, you'll notice that Loki has heavily "edited" his version of events.

I am so excited about all of you that I've gotten to connect with on tumblr! My tumblr link is on my profile page if you're interested.


	16. Chapter 16

**Ch. 16**

There was a heated pause between them. Skye knew that she should be worried that she had pushed him too far, said too much. But she was done; completely 100% done with everything. She had waited years to find out who her real parents were. She had been yanked from one group home and one foster home to another, never being able to form any real friendships, never being able to connect with anyone. She supposed that was why she had grown so attached to her van, a vehicle that represented constant movement.

She had finally found a home on the Bus with a real family. Maybe not her birth family, but a real family, nonetheless. May and Coulson had been the mother and father she had never known. Maybe May was a bit gruff, but she had been a great role model when Skye had tried to track down leads when Coulson had been abducted. Coulson had believed her and supported her when no one else did. Jemma and Leo were like the brother and sister she never had. And Ward. Well, if Skye were honest with herself, her feelings for Ward were hardly sisterly.

And she had given all that up to find out the truth about her birth parents. Given all that up to sit here with Loki and have him compare his luxury-filled existence with her chaotic upbringing. And she was having none of it.

Loki tensed next to her and she expected him to lash out, to cut her with a scathing remark. Instead, she was surprised by his response. "It was never my intention that you live that life. If I had known about you, I would have made sure that you grew up here, on Asgard, with all the rights and privileges I enjoyed. I am not a villain, Skye, despite my past actions. I would have never knowingly allowed you to grow up the way that you did."

Skye opened her mouth to say something. To say some kind of quip or comeback. But, she didn't have one. She didn't have a response to the look of pain on Loki's face, the naked sadness in his eyes.

"That is why you are here now, Skye," Loki continued. "In some small way, I want to make up for your past. I want to give you back a part of your heritage that was stolen from you. I know it won't erase what happened to you. I know that it is a poor substitute for growing up in a real family. There many things that I regret about my past. Many things I would have done differently if I would have known where the path would lead."

Skye looked at him intently, trying to ferret out some type of subterfuge, some attempt at lying, but she could see nothing but earnestness in Loki's face. Still, she couldn't let go of what he had done.

"I want to believe you. I do. But, look at what you've done. I mean, you killed Coulson. Stabbed him through the heart. You know, the reason I had any type of a home was because Coulson took me in, gave me a chance."

"At the time, your Agent Coulson was a threat. I had to bring Thanos' plans to fruition. I had a knife at my throat the entire time I was on Midgard. Failure would have brought Thanos' wrath down on me. I had no room for mercy or hesitation."

"And now?" Skye asked. "Is he still a threat?"

"No, quite the opposite. It seems I owe him a debt for showing such kindness and generosity towards my daughter."

Skye took a deep breath. "So, where do we go from here?"

"Let this month be your introduction to Asgard. At the end of it, my hope is that you will choose to remain here with me. Since you need riding lessons, I had morning lessons set up at the stables for you. Did you not mention that you trained with your Agent Ward?" Loki asked.

Skye nodded. Loki had asked on the car ride to the Bifrost what she typically did on the Bus and she had given him a general rundown of the types of training she had and work she did.

"Excellent. I have combat training lesson set up with Volstagg after your riding lessons. Why should Sif be the only female warrior on Asgard? We'll have lunch together and then we can work to see where your abilities lie," Loki explained.

"So, we'll be Hogwartsing it up every afternoon?"

"Excuse me?"

"You're going to give me magic lessons?" Skye asked eagerly.

"Yes, my dear. Although, I must warn you not to be too impatient. It took me years to learn most of my illusions from my mother. I am not hopeful that you will learn much in a month. However, if you should choose to stay longer . . . ." Loki let the last phrase hang, cocking his eyebrow and giving her a smug smile.

"One month, Loki. One month," Skye repeated firmly.

"Of course," Loki smirked.

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><p><strong>Author's Note<strong>- Okay, your reviews are just amazing. You are all so very sweet. Thank you so much!


	17. Chapter 17

**Ch. 17**

The next morning after Thor's revelation, Coulson called a meeting in the lounge to try to brainstorm ideas on how to save Skye. Coulson had to admit, he almost wished Loki had been Skye's father. After having Thor assert that Loki couldn't be her dad, Coulson tossed and turned all night, horrified at what might be happening to her on Asgard.

As he looked around the assembled group, he could see that the rest of them had slept poorly as well. He saw bloodshot eyes with bags under them, yawning and the bleariness that comes from utter exhaustion. The only one who seemed unaffected was Darcy, her bubbly smile causing him to grin.

"Alright, people, we need to work the problem. We can't wait a month and just hope that Loki will keep his word and send Skye back. We have no idea what he is doing to her right now."

He saw Ward clench his jaw.

"I do not believe that my brother would harm an innocent girl," Thor said.

"Did you believe he would stab me to death? Did you believe he would invade an innocent world, causing the deaths of thousands in his wake?" Coulson asked sharply.

Thor looked stricken and just shook his head.

"It seems as if your brother has the capacity to justify almost any action. I'm sorry, but his track record does not inspire confidence," Coulson said.

"I understand," was all Thor could say.

"So, we need to figure out a way to get her back. Think outside of the box. In fact, given what we've seen in the last few years, let's just be real honest with ourselves and realize there just isn't a box to begin with," Coulson instructed.

For the next half hour, a fierce debate raged among the group as one more outlandish suggestion after the next was posited. Darcy put up her hand to suggest something, but she was ignored as the others started shouting over a particularly harrowing plan.

Finally, Darcy stood on the couch and gave a loud whistle. At once, the group quieted and looked up at her.

"I have an idea," she began.

"Look, Miss Poly Sci major, I know you want to help, and we appreciate that, but we need feasible plans," Fitz said, curtly.

"Okay, Scotty, but I have an idea. Why don't you and Jane build a Bifrost bridge?"

"What?" Coulson said.

"Look, with Jane and Scotty there, you have a trained engineering and astrophysics team. Thor has knowledge of how the Bifrost works. Dr. Simmons has the biological knowledge to be able to make sure we can travel back and forth to Asgard safely. Agents May and Ward are trained operatives, right? So, they can get whatever materials you guys need, even if they are, let's say, a bit difficult to obtain by legal means. And, Agent Coulson, you can coordinate the teams."

Everyone stared at Darcy. "It could work," Jane said, excitedly.

"It's bloody brilliant," Leo said. "But, it's Fitz, not Scotty."

"Oh honey, after that Poly Sci crack, I will always call you Scotty," Darcy replied.

"Okay. If we do this, there is no going back. There is no redemption. In all likelihood, S.H.I.E.L.D. will declare us a threat. They're going to hunt us down. Are we all in?" Coulson asked, scanning the group.

"You keep asking that, sir, and the answer hasn't changed," Simmons said firmly.

The rest of his team nodded. Coulson looked at Jane, Thor and Darcy. "And you three? I hate to drag you into this even further."

"I must do what I can to put right what my brother has done," Thor said gravely.

"I'm with him. For whatever reason Loki took your team member, we should help to bring her back. Plus, I'd love to try to create a Bifrost bridge with Doctors Fitz and Simmons."

All eyes turned to Darcy. "Dude, I'm the one who came up with the plan. I'm totally in."

Coulson smiled at the group. "Alright, let's get to work."

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><p>Author's Note- 150 reviews! You, dear readers, are awesome! Thank you so very, very much. Every single review brings a smile to my face and makes me want to write more.<p> 


	18. Chapter 18

**Ch. 18**

Skye's first riding lesson went fairly well, at least in her own mind, as she managed to stay on the beast without falling off. She rode the same black mare that she had the evening before.

"Do you like her, your Highness?" the groom asked.

Skye nodded, running her hand along the horse's side. She was a beautiful animal.

"She's yours. A gift from the king," he replied.

Skye was flabbergasted. She had never owned so much as a goldfish before and now Loki had given her a horse. She wasn't naive though. She saw through his manipulation. She knew it was an attempt to make her want to remain on Asgard. But, as she stroked the horse's withers, she had to admit the gesture did tug at her heart a bit.

00000

An hour later, she arrived at the indoor training arena where she was to meet Volstagg. She had read the S.H.I.E.L.D. file on him and scanned the vast room to find him. She eventually saw him in a far corner, his back to her, talking to someone. As she approached, she could hear them arguing.

"You should not even be here. If he finds out . . . ." Volstagg began sternly.

Skye cleared her throat loudly. "Um . . . Volstagg?"

He turned and his expression shifted from one of worry to one of jolly good will. "Hello, your Highness, it is my pleasure to meet you."

Skye noticed that he took her hand and bowed, but he did not kiss it. As Volstagg turned, Skye also saw who he had been arguing with. Fandral.

"We meet once again, my dear Skye," he said as he kissed her hand, bowing low. Volstagg's eyes widened at the endearment and Skye fidgeted nervously. "I was just telling Volstagg here that I am more than willing to take over your training."

"I don't think that king would approve," Volstagg said, an edge to his voice.

"I do not think the king will know one way or the other. It's not as if you will tell him, will you?" Fandral asked Skye pointedly.

Skye thought for a moment. On the one hand, Loki had warned her not to spend any more time with Fandral. On the other, she still felt like he could be a good source of useful information.

Making up her mind, she grinned at Volstaggg. "What he doesn't know, can't hurt him."

Volstagg threw up his hands. "Fine, I'm keeping well out of it. Mind you, not a word of this better come back to him or it'll be both of us in the dungeons." At that, he sketched a quick bow to Skye and stalked off.

Skye looked at Fandral, startled, but he just shook his head. "My friend there likes to exaggerate. It will be perfectly fine. Shall we begin?"

Soon, there was a rapier in her hand and Fandral was walking her through the first basic steps of sword-fighting.

"I take it this is your first introduction to a sword?" Fandral asked.

Skye blushed at first, clearly catching the innuendo in the over exaggerated waggle of his eyebrows. "Yeah; there's not much call for sword-fighting on Earth. I've trained with weapons before, but it's been mainly guns," Skye replied.

"Well, let us first work on your stance. If you'll allow me," he said as he came behind her placing his hands one hand on her waist and the other on her arm. As he gently corrected her posture, she felt his warm breath on her neck as he whispered in her ear. She flashed back to a similar scene, the first time Ward tried to teach her how to shoot, and she took a deep, steadying breath. _Focus_, _Skye,_ she berated herself. _Don't let yourself get distracted_.

"Are you quite alright, my dear Skye? You seem a bit . . . disconcerted," Fandral said from behind her, and even without looking, she could hear the smile in his voice.

"I'm fine. I'm fine," Skye said quickly. "Let's just get on with the lesson."

He walked around to face her, a cocky grin on his face. "By all means, let us begin."

00000

An hour later, Skye was shaking from exhaustion, whereas Fandral hadn't even broken a sweat. "It seems as though this would be a good place to stop at the moment. Might I have to pleasure of dining with you? It is nearly midday."

"Oh, no; sorry. I'm supposed to have lunch with Loki and I should go and change first," she said apologetically.

"That is quite alright, my dear. You mustn't keep the king waiting. Until tomorrow, my dear Skye," he said as he once again bowed low and kissed her hand.

"Thanks, Fandral, for the lesson. I really appreciate it," she said before he left.

"The pleasure has been all mine," he said as he turned to leave.

It wasn't until later, back at her chambers, that Skye realized that she hadn't asked him a single question about Loki.


	19. Chapter 19

**Ch. 19**

Skye rushed down the corridor towards the dining room where she had eaten breakfast with Loki. She had bathed and dressed quickly after her training session, but she wasn't exactly sure when she was supposed to meet Loki and she hadn't seen one clock since she arrived in Asgard the night before.

She found the correct room and opened the massive doors to see the long table empty. She saw one attendant waiting patiently in a corner.

"Um, hi," Skye began, feeling a bit uncertain. "I'm supposed to meet the king for lunch."

"Yes, your Highness. His Majesty informed me that he would be in shortly. Would you like some light refreshments while you wait?" he asked, pointing to a small table filled with green and black grapes, hard white cheese and bread.

"Uh, okay; thanks," she said and grabbed a plate and quickly filled it with an assortment of food.

"I should serve you, your Highness," the attendant said anxiously as he moved to take the plate from her.

"No, no; that's okay," she said, deftly maneuvering the plate out of his reach and sitting down in same spot she had at breakfast.

"May I offer you something to drink, your Highness?"

Skye winced, remembering the sickly sweet juice from breakfast. "How about some water? I trained earlier today and I'm really, really thirsty."

The attendant nodded and left the room for a moment. When he returned, he was carrying a large silver pitcher of cold water, the condensation beading on it. He filled her goblet and then hovered next to her as she began to eat. Whenever she drank, he immediately refilled her goblet. Skye rolled her eyes, but didn't say anything. Causing one servant to cry that day was quite enough.

Before Skye could finish her appetizers, Loki entered the room. "I'm glad to see that you've had something to eat. I am sorry that I was late. I was unavoidably detained. How were your morning lessons?"

"Riding was great. Well, it was okay. I suppose I'll get the hang of it soon enough. Um," Skye paused for a bit, "thanks for the horse?" she added tentatively.

"You are quite welcome, my dear," Loki said as he nodded to the attendant to begin serving their lunch. "Learning to ride is much easier if one has a bond with the horse, I've found. And how was your combat training?"

"Good, a bit different than what I'm used to," Skye said vaguely, hoping that Loki wouldn't press her for details.

"I would assume so. Midgardians seem overly fond of arms and munitions," Loki said snidely.

Skye wanted to snap back at him, but decided to hold her tongue instead. "So, if Fandral and Volstagg are here, where are Hogun and Sif?" she asked to change the subject.

"How do you know about them? Did Volstagg tell you?" Loki asked.

"No, S.H.I.E.L.D. has files on all the Asgardians who have visited Earth. I was part of the clean-up crew after Greenwich got wrecked, so I read up on them."

Loki nodded. "It doesn't surprise me. Does S.H.I.E.L.D. have a file on me?" he asked through clenched teeth.

Skye nodded.

"Did you read it?"

Skye nodded again.

Loki let out a slow breath. "You shouldn't believe everything you read, my dear. I am sure S.H.I.E.L.D. has its own agenda."

"So, where are Hogun and Sif?" Skye asked, if only to steer the conversation into safer waters.

"There are on Vanaheim, Hogun's homeworld. After Thor destroyed the Bifrost, for a while, Asgard was cut off from the rest of the Nine Realms. For millennia, we have ensured the peace. With Asgard out of the picture, marauders began to pillage the weaker realms that had traditionally fallen under our protection. I bet that was absent from your S.H.I.E.L.D. files," Loki muttered bitterly.

"You're right," she admitted

"Now that the Bifrost is fully functional, we are able to restore the peace. However, there are still skirmishes here and there that we are obliged to attend to," he informed her briskly.

"So, Hogun and Sif are off fighting on Vanaheim?"

"Yes, and Volstagg and Fandral are here training additional troops to help in policing these plundering bands of thugs."

During the rest of the lunch, Loki gave her a quick history lesson on Asgard as well, as the other Nine Realms. Skye tried to pay attention as best she could, but far too many of the worlds ended in "-heim" and she felt a bit lost. She decided to make sure to write down all that she could remember as soon as she got back to her room.

Once they'd finished, Loki motioned for one of the attendants to clear their plates. "Are you ready for your lessons, Skye?" he asked as he stood and walked to the middle of the room.

"Yes, definitely," she said as she joined him.

"Well, then, let us begin."

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><p><strong>Author's note<strong>- Next up, the Asgardian version of Hogwarts!


	20. Chapter 20

**Ch. 20**

"As I told you before, my dear, I highly doubt that we will make much progress in only a month. However, I can begin to teach you the fundamentals and we will start to see exactly how well you can use what I've taught you," Loki said.

"Okay; so what can you do?" Skye asked.

"All of my personal magic is based on illusion. If, for example, I wield Gungnir, Odin's spear, I am able to directly manipulate energy. Without it, though, I am limited in what I can conjure up."

"So, just illusions?" she said, letting her disappointment show. She thought she'd be able to fly or turn people into toads or something truly mind-blowing.

"Oh, do not discount the power of illusion, my dear. What would have happened, for example, if I had disguised myself as the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. and ordered the Avengers to spend their time searching for the dreaded Loki on some remote South Pacific island?" Loki asked as he shimmered away and Nick Fury took his place.

Instinctually, Skye took a step back. She knew it was Loki, but as she slowly circled around him, she was absolutely convinced it was actually Fury. Every detail was spot on and, for a moment, she thought that perhaps Loki had tricked her. That he had somehow teleported Fury there.

"Director Fury?" she asked tentatively.

"What the hell am I doing here? Where am I?" he snarled at her as he clenched his fists, his long black leather coat swaying as he turned to look around.

"Um . . .," she began as she saw a green light shimmer across his body and Loki take Fury's place.

"Convincing, was I not?" he said smugly.

"How did you get the voice? And the clothes?" she asked.

"Illusions can be audio as well as visual. With enough practice, one can successfully mimic anyone's voice and appearance."

Skye suddenly felt a bit overwhelmed. "So you can be anyone at any time?"

"Yes. You see, that is how I was able to successfully deceive Thor and Odin into thinking I had died. I posed as a palace guard," Loki said with an arrogant grin.

"So, I'll be able to do that? Be able to change what I look like?" she asked excitedly, imagining being a part of undercover assignments in disguise.

"Not for a very long time, I'm afraid. It took me several decades to be able to do this, under the constant tutelage of my mother, who was an expert in seiđr."

"What is seiđr?" Skye asked.

"It is the Aesir version of what you call magic. It involves using one's will to form and shape an illusion."

"Can anyone do it?"

Loki sighed. "I suppose that anyone could learn the techniques, but to be truly good at it requires some innate talent along with countless hours of practice."

"How many hours of practice?" Skye asked nervously.

"To be quite frank, it took me decades. However, with you only being half-Jotun, it may take even longer."

"I don't have much longer than that," Skye said, sarcastically.

"That's not entirely true," Loki said.

"What do you mean?"

"There is a way for a mortal to stay alive longer than the hundred years given them."

"How?" she asked, sceptically.

"If you chose to stay on Asgard, there is a healer, named Lady Iđunn. She has bred a certain strain of apple which has the ability to enact cell regeneration. In essence, you would never grow old."

Skye's eyes widened. "Is that how you all live so long here?"

"You can see why she is a very popular person," Loki said vaguely, avoiding the question.

Skye shook her head slightly, trying to clear her thoughts. A horse and now, near immortality. Loki sure knew how to sweeten the deal.

"So, what can you teach me?" she asked.

"The first, most basic illusion that I learned was smoke or fog," he explained.

"It doesn't sound that impressive," Skye scoffed.

"Once, again, do not underestimate the value of illusion. Even the most basic ones can be useful. In battle, the ability to obscure your opponent's vision with a thick fog or smoke can be invaluable. Also, since it is the most basic of illusions, it is relatively easy to summon, even if you are distracted by fighting for your life."

"Alright, let's try it."

"Very well. To begin, you will need to concentrate. Put out your hand like this, palm up and visualize a small puff of smoke there. Quiet your mind of all other thought and just focus," he instructed as a small cloud of light grey fog dutifully hovered over his hand.

"Are there any magic words I need to say?" Skye asked.

"No, this type of magic is about gathering and harnessing your will. Also, if I said magic words before I enacted one of my illusions, it would be a fairly strong indication that I was conjuring an illusion. This is all based on trickery and misdirection; you wouldn't want to give yourself away. Now, you try," he said patiently.

Skye stared at her hand, pouring all of her energy into it.

Nothing.

They spent the next hour practicing, this way and that. Loki must have explained it to her a hundred different ways, but still nothing.

Finally, she put her hand down in frustration. "I just can't do it."

"As I said, my dear, it will take time. You've had a busy day. Why don't you return to your rooms and practice and we'll begin again tomorrow. I really must be going as it is. I've a meeting with a trade delegation soon and I need to review the agreements one more time before they arrive. I'll see you at dinner."

"Okay, . . . um, Loki?" Skye began.

"Yes, my dear?"

"Thank you; for teaching me," she said.

"It has been my pleasure, my dear. It is good to know that my mother's lessons will live on in you," he said, his voice thick with emotion. He shook his head briefly. "Now, go practice and we'll begin again tomorrow," he said briskly.

Skye nodded and turned to leave. She now had a project. She was determined to get this.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note<strong>- Lady Iđunn's apples may be my favorite Norse myth. Given that Thor will live another 4,000 years and Jane Foster only has another 70, I want the next Thor movie to be called "Thor 3: The Search for Iđunn's Apples".


	21. Chapter 21

**Ch. 21**

Coulson sat on the couch nursing a cup of coffee. He was drinking too much of it lately, sleeping too little. It had been two weeks since Loki had taken Skye to Asgard and everyone was pushed past their limits. Nobody slept enough, nobody ate enough and he was sure that Dr. Foster and Fitzsimmons hadn't seen the sun since they started working together. Thor tried to answer their questions as best he could, but it was incredibly difficult to translate Asgardian technology into terms the rest of them could understand. And, while he did have a good grasp of how the Bifrost worked, he was hardly an expert and he had to guess more often than not while helping them.

They had been crisscrossing the globe so that May and Ward could collect the needed materials. Unlike Loki, they didn't have an army of minions to help them out and even with S.H.I.E.L.D.'s files on the portal that Loki had created, it was slow going. Ward and May had been driven, taking risks they shouldn't have to get what they needed to create the Bifrost. Ward had already gotten stabbed once during one mission and May broke a finger during another.

Darcy came over and plopped down next to him and Coulson had to smile. On the surface, she would seem like the most unnecessary member of their newly formed team, but Coulson didn't know how they would have made it without her. A consummate organizer, she made sure they all had enough food on the Bus, cooking enormous dinners nearly every night and bullying everyone into taking a break and eating together. Her sunny, irreverent disposition brightened everyone's day and made the last few harrowing weeks manageable. Everyone, even May, grinned when they saw her, a ray of light during such a dark time.

"So, big guy, what's the situation with the Abercrombie and Fitch model?"

"Who? Oh, Ward. The situation? What situation?" Coulson asked.

"Don't make me spell it out," she replied, looking at him pointedly.

"Oh . . . .," he said, rubbing his temples and trying to avert the beginnings of a caffeine and stress-induced headache. He flashed back on May's revelation that she and Ward were having an affair. "Let's just say, it's complicated."

"And Scotty?"

He bit back a laugh at Darcy's nickname for Fitz. "I don't think he's officially dating anyone, but . . ." Coulson trailed off with a huff. He'd seen the stolen glances between him and Simmons, especially when they thought the other wasn't looking.

"So all the eligible guys on this plane are taken?" she whined.

"More or less. I thought you were dating your intern, Ian?"

"Were is the operative word in that sentence. We only dated for like three weeks. Wait, how did you know? I swear, S.H.I.E.L.D. has files on everyone," she said, exasperated.

"Oh, no, it wasn't that. Somehow I ended up Facebook friends with Selvig."

Darcy shot him a look of disbelief.

"What was that look for? I'm still with it," Coulson protested.

Darcy cocked an eyebrow and then shook her head slowly. "Well, great, once again, I'm the odd one out. Do you know how hard it is to be around Romeo and Juliet over there?" she asked, vaguely pointing in Thor and Jane's direction. "I mean, they are literally star-crossed lovers. He gave up a kingdom for her. My last Valentine's day, I ate a pint of Ben and Jerry's and rewatched the first two seasons of Sherlock."

"The BBC one?"

"Of course," Darcy said emphatically.

"There's someone out there for everyone, Darcy," Coulson said as he watched May walk through the room. He turned back to look at Darcy. "Who knows? Loki's unattached. You could be the next queen of Asgard," he said dryly, just ducking the pillow she sent winging at his head.

"You better be nice to me, then," she snarled in mock anger, "or next time, I'll be the one with the glowstick of destiny."


	22. Chapter 22

**Ch. 22**

It was nearing the end of Skye's third week in Asgard and she was finally starting to get her footing. Some things, like having a servant hovering over her every time she ate or the feeling that she was being constantly monitored, were still difficult to deal with.

She felt so petty when she thought about the things she missed from Earth. Of course, she missed her team, but she also missed computers, the internet, even spending downtime reblogging silly gifsets on tumblr. She had asked Loki if there were any equivalent computer-like machines on Asgard, since some of their technology seemed stunningy advanced, but he refused to grant her access to any type of device, telling her he didn't want his realm's technology dissected in her next S.H.I.E.L.D. report. She would have been more hurt by his remark if it hadn't have been true.

She felt silly about the food that she missed from home. Asgardian food, at least the royal food she was prepared, was delicious, but it didn't feel like home. As ridiculous as it sounded, she was dying for a hamburger. She even went so far as venturing down to the kitchens one day to describe the dish to the head palace chef. He looked scandalized when she tried to describe the concept of ground beef and he, very politely, asked her to vacate his kitchen. She just have to hold out for McDonalds when she got home.

Other things about her temporary home were a lot more enjoyable. After patiently training her with no results for two weeks, Loki was overjoyed when Skye was able to produce a tiny puff of smoke hovering over her palm. She was so excited, she nearly hugged Loki, but she stopped herself before she touched him, suddenly self-concious about their uneasy father/daughter relationship.

And then there were her sword-fighting lessons where a ridicously handsome man drowned her in compliments every day as they trained together.

She was so confused about Fandral. She was trying to guard her heart, telling herself that she would be leaving soon and that she shouldn't let herself develop a crush on someone she would never see again. But, then she would see him, bowing low to her, his eyes boring into hers, feel his lips brush against the back of his hand and she would flounder.

She tried to duck out of his personal questions, feign a misunderstanding when he asked what she was doing later on that day. She couldn't trust herself to be alone with him. She really didn't know where it would lead.

That was why, when he offered to take her to the weekly market in a nearby village, she refused at first.

"I don't think that would be a good idea. I don't think Loki wants me leaving the palace," she said, covering for her hesitation at being alone with Fandral.

"What was that expression of yours? What he doesn't know can't hurt him? And my dear Skye, I must ask, are you a princess or a prisioner? You have every right to explore the kingdom. You have every right to know more about Asgard than this palace," Fandral exhorted.

The more she thought about it, the more reasonable the suggestion seemed. This may be her only opportunity to see an alien planet. Didn't she deserve to see a bit more than the walls of the palace? After all, what's the worst that could happen?

Later on, Skye would learn the answer to that question.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note<strong>- Chapter 10 of "**The Captain's Bride**" is up! If you enjoy mystery, cliffhangers and a bit of romance, you'll love "**The Captain's Bride**".


	23. Chapter 23

**Ch. 23**

Skye returned to her rooms after her afternoon magic lesson with Loki and changed quickly into a beautiful blue gown that Halla had laid out for her. Skye fiddled with her dress in front of the full-length mirror. She knew that she was being silly, that Fandral saw her every day, sweating and gasping for breath during their lessons together and he still complimented her at every opportunity that he got. Still, she swished this way and that, making sure that the elaborate up-do that Halla had accomplished earlier that day still looked perfect.

She heard a knock at the door. "Come in," she said, expecting it to be Halla returning from the kitchens.

"Hello, my dear Skye," Fandral said as he entered her room, bowed and kissed her hand. "My, you are completely ravishing. Are you quite sure you that you still want to go to the market? I am sure that there are other activities we could engage in that might be much more . . . pleasurable," he said, his tone low and suggestive.

Skye was acutely aware that she was alone with Fandral.

Alone with Fandral in her bed chambers.

She swallowed hard, mentally pushing herself to be strong in the face of temptation. "We really should be going. I'd love to be able to get some souvenirs for my friends back home. What do you suggest?" she asked briskly, walking towards the door, obliging Fandral to follow.

Fandral followed her out of her room, a knowing grin on his face."I'm sure that you'll find some beautiful gifts for your friends."

00000

Two hours later, Skye was almost done with her shopping. The market reminded her a bit of a cross between a farmer's market back home and a Renaissance Fair. There were a variety of stalls that sold produce, hot foods and handicrafts. Some of the fruits and vegetables looked very familiar and some were utterly foreign. She bought some type of roasted meat on a stick that tasted like pork barbeque. When she asked Fandral what it was, he just shook his head and told her that she didn't want to know.

She had bought gifts for everyone on her team and now she was shopping solely for herself. When she asked Fandral about money, he said that all she needed to do was to tell them to charge it to the palace. It worked every time and since Skye had no idea of what a comparable exchange rate was, she really didn't know how much money she was spending. However, she thought with a grin, if Loki gave her a bad time about it, she'd just tell him it was for all the back child support he owed.

She bought a delicate gold filigree necklace and a book on Asgardian wildlife for Jemma. She figured that the biology of alien species would fascinate Jemma. Skye bought a large, hefty battle ax for May, an engraved sword for Ward made by an expert dwarf craftsman, a book on Asgardian history for Coulson and an elven blaster for Leo. She figured that he would have a ball trying to take it apart and retro-engineer it.

When she purchased the weapon, she asked Fandral about it. "I thought you guys were all about swords and axes."

"We are. The arms on sale at this market were scavenged from our last battle with the dark elves. On Asgard, it is considered cowardly to rely too heavily on firearms in battle," Fandral sniffed disdainfully.

"My S.O. told me it's never cowardly to live to fight another day," Skye retorted defensively.

"S.O.?"

"My supervising officer. He was training me to be a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent before I got . . . shot," she said, still wincing at the memory.

"He trained you? He must have been devastated when you were so severely wounded," Fandral observed.

"You could say that," Skye said ruefully, flashing back to Ward at her bedside after she woke up, the look of anguish on his face when he said that he thought he'd lost her.

"Why don't I load these gifts on the horses while you look around one last time? We should leave before it gets too late. We wouldn't want to keep the king waiting for his dinner," Fandral suggested, interrupting her reverie.

"Sounds good," she nodded, smiling as he easily took the huge bundle as though it weighed nothing. Asgardians were ridiculously strong.

Skye took one last look around the market, finally settling on a gold and emerald bracelet. It was gorgeous and cost more than the other gifts combined. At first, she hesitated when buying it, but she finally decided that she deserved some type of souvenir from her time on Asgard and the colors reminded her of Loki.

As she began to make her way back to where they had left the horses, she was aware of a man in the crowd staring at her intently and following her every movement. His gaze went beyond the casual glances she had gotten in the market and she began to feel uneasy as her spidey senses began to tingle. One thing that she had learned from Ward was to always trust her instincts.

She decided to duck down a side street to try to lose her tail, figuring she could come around another block. As she turned to go around yet another corner, she saw that it was a dead end. She turned to double back and there she saw the man blocking her way. He grinned at her in a way that made her stomach sink. He wasn't much taller than her, unshaven and dressed in rough clothing, but given how incredibly strong Asgardians were, she wasn't that optimistic about her chances in hand to hand combat.

"Now what've we got here?" he said, rubbing his hands together in anticipation. He let out a short whistle and he was joined by another thug, with a similar thin frame and disheveled appearance. "Running around, charging things to the palace. Looks like our usurper's got a pretty little plaything. That's it, isn't it, love? Are you the king's new toy?" he asked, his eyes traveling her form.

"Uuuww, gross. Dude, he's my dad," Skye said in disgust before she could stop herself.

"Oh, looks like we've caught ourselves a princess. Wonder how much we'll get for her?"

Skye took a steadying breath, backing up slowly as they advanced on her. She tried to run through all of her training, but without a weapon, she didn't see how she was going to get out of this.


	24. Chapter 24

**Ch. 24**

All of a sudden, she heard Fandral's voice. "Step away from the lady," he said authoritatively as he stood at the mouth of alley, walking towards the thugs with his sword drawn.

She breathed a sigh of relief. Fandral to the rescue!

"Oh, I don't think so, mate. She's worth too much to us. All of us," the first thug said as he let out another low whistle and five more men entered the alleyway with swords drawn, blocking their exit.

Skye saw a look of alarm briefly pass over Fandral's face. She guessed that seven against two weren't such good odds. Her heart began to race and could almost feel the adrenaline pumping through her veins.

Then, her mind flashed to something that Loki had said, about a smoke illusion being useful in battle. She didn't know if she could create an alley full of fog, but maybe she could could just focus on their . . .

All of a sudden, the thugs around them began to claw at their eyes. "I can't see! I can't see! I've gone blind!" they began to scream as they started to thrash about and attack each other in a panic.

Fandral looked at her, amazement on his face. "You are truly your father's daughter." He grabbed her hand and they ran out of the alleyway together, avoiding the thugs as they began to attack one another in earnest.

As they emerged from the alley, Skye spied a group of town watchmen down the street. "Go. Get them. I don't know how much longer I'll be able to keep up the illusion."

Fandral looked like he might object for a moment, but then, he nodded his head and jogged over to the group. Skye turned around and focused on pouring all of her will into maintaining the illusion, ignoring the pounding in her head and exhaustion seeping into her bones.

Fandral returned with the guards and Skye kept the illusion going long enough for them to shackle the prisoners, some of whom were badly injured. When he came back to her, she leaned heavily on him.

"Yay! We won," she mumbled before sinking into oblivion.

000000

When she awoke, she was lying in her own bed, back at the palace. She sat up and groaned at the effort. She felt like someone had run her over with a car and then backed up and did it again.

"Good; you're awake," Loki said as he walked over to her bed.

"How long was I out?" Skye asked.

"Four or five hours. How do you feel?"

"Horrible. I have a headache and my whole body is sore," she said.

"That's to be expected. You pushed yourself far beyond your training with that little stunt."

"So, you heard."

"Yes, Fandral told me."

"He did?" she asked, wincing.

"He told me everything, the market, the training sessions. I did warn you about him. From now on, you will be training with Volstagg," Loki said severely.

"He . . . he saved me," she said defensively.

"No, my dear. You saved him. You defeated those ruffians. You would have alerted the watchmen. You are the hero of this story. Don't let yourself forget that."

Skye couldn't help but smile. "So, what's going to happen to them?"

"They have been flogged and will be interrogated to determine if they are part of a larger group of marauders infiltrating the kingdom. After their interrogation, they'll be executed for their crimes."

"Executed? No! You can't kill them. They didn't even kidnap me. I'm okay. You don't have to kill them."

"My dear, you are so soft-hearted. What do you think would have happened if they would have succeeded?"

"But, they didn't. Please, please promise me you won't kill them."

Loki looked down at her, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "Very well. Life imprisonment it is. Although execution may have been the kinder choice."

"Thank you."

"Pleading for the lives of the men who would have captured you. You are so like her, you know."

"Like who?'

"Your mother. A kinder and more compassionate woman I have never met. They do say that opposites attract, do they not?"

"Will you tell me about her?" Skye asked tentatively. She had asked Loki repeatedly about her mother for the past few weeks, but he always refused to broach the subject.

"Alright. I suppose you should know. Let us see. I was sent to Nidavellir, the dwarf realm, to negotiate a trade agreement. I told Odin that it would take at least three months as negotiations were often tricky with the dwarves. Odin always sent me on diplomatic missions as Thor always made a mess of it and usually ended up starting a battle, or at the very least, a brawl."

"However, I knew that it wouldn't take longer than a few days to wrap up the agreement. I had planned on taking an unscheduled journey."

"A journey?" she asked.

"Well, I had fancied taking a trip around Midgard. I had visited from time to time, mind you, and it was a great place to have a bit of fun. I knew of secret ways to travel from the dwarf realm to Midgard and knew how to cloak myself from Heimdall's gaze."

"So you came to Earth on vacation?"

"Yes. I suppose that's the term. I arrived first in a small village in China. I was intent on exploring the entire continent, moving from place to place. Only that's not what happened."

"What happened?" Skye asked.

"I met your mother. She was a young widow. Her husband had died a few years before from one of those horrible illnesses that you mortals seem to contract on a regular basis. I was instantly smitten. She was overwhelmingly beautiful, loving and caring. Although she had so very little herself, she constantly shared what she did have with others who were struggling in her village."

Loki took a deep breath, lost in his memories. "I posed a foreign businessman, researching the area for a possible site for a factory. Every morning I planned to leave to explore more of the country, but every night I found myself once again in her arms."

"What was her name?"

"Li-Juan. A rough translation would be beautiful and graceful, which she was," he said with a brief smile. "Her family name was Tam."

"And after three months?"

"I had to return. I had to leave her. If I had come back with a woman I had found on Midgard . . . " his voice trailed off.

"Then they would have known that you had lied. That you knew how to move about the realms unnoticed. You gave her up so you wouldn't have to miss out on your fun," Skye said bitterly.

"When I came back to Midgard, during that Tesseract debacle, I did try to find her. But, I was informed that her village no longer existed. That there had been some natural disaster."

"That was the cover story. The real truth was that her entire village was massacred to get to me. They killed everyone in that town to try to get me because I'm some sort of . . . . . half-alien freak," Skye groaned, as the memory of Coulson's words resurfaced.

"My dear, you are a product of two different realms, but you are special and unique, not a 'freak'. Would a normal Midgardian woman been able to do what you did today? As heartbroken as I was to see you lying there, I was also incredibly proud of what you did."

Skye didn't know what to say. "Thanks," she murmured half-heartedly.

"You are quite welcome, my dear. Why don't you rest now and I'll have a tray brought up from the kitchens. You must be famished."

Skye's stomach growled. "Sounds good. Do you have any aspirin or something? My head is killing me," she said as she sank down to lie in bed.

"I'll have a healer sent to attend to you. Rest now."

Skye nodded as she stifled a yawn and closed her eyes once again.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note<strong>- I can't believe this story has over 200 reviews! Thank you so very, very much for every single one of them. I can't tell you how excited I get when I read one of them! To know that you are enjoying this story so much really pushes me to write more and more for you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!


	25. Chapter 25

**Ch. 25**

The team on the Bus dropped both Ward and May off in Geneva, Switzerland. The two operatives were tasked to track down another source of iridium, while the rest of the team went back to Greenwich to try to visit Selvig in a mental institution. Jane Foster had resisted going to Selvig for weeks, worried that their inquiries would cause even more cracks in her mentor's fragile psyche. However, they were completely stalled in their efforts to build a Bifrost device and beginning to get desperate.

Ward felt more than a little uneasy having an overnight assignment with May. He'd done his best to avoid May the last few weeks, which was difficult when they were constantly running missions together. Overnight assignments together used to mean an alcohol-filled encounter, bodies entangling on messy hotel sheets. The rule was that they wouldn't talk about it the next day, that they could almost pretend it didn't happen.

But Ward was tired of pretending. Tired of running on autopilot. Tired of feeling empty and numb inside.

There was a knock at his hotel door. He sighed. Usually, he came to her room, always with a bottle of something strong and bitter. A bottle to work up the courage, a bottle to shift the responsibility. It began with a bottle. With the belief that it was just a one night stand.

But he came back. And she let him in. But not really. Not fully. She was always closed off, always keeping a part of herself solely to herself. And he couldn't live like that. He couldn't be with someone like that any longer.

Ward approached the door, but didn't open it, wanting desperately to avoid what was coming next.

"I need to come in," May said impatiently through the closed door.

"Look, I'm tired. Maybe we can just talk in the morning," Ward hedged.

"Let me in, Ward. We need to talk," May insisted firmly.

Ward reluctantly opened the door and let May inside. She sat down in the only chair in the corner of the room. Ward chose to stand rather than sit on the bed near her.

"We're not going to finish the Bifrost in time. It's already been three weeks. I know that it won't be completed any time soon," Ward said, trying to focus the upcoming conversation on the mission.

"That's not what I came in here to talk about," May said calmly.

Ward nodded and swallowed hard. "So . . . ," he began. "I know things have been a bit strained lately with what's happened with Skye. I'm sorry if I haven't really been there for you. We really haven't been alone since . . . It's just that . . . ," Ward gulped, groping to find the right words.

May stared at him. "Whatever we had together ended the second Skye got shot. It's just taken us a month to admit it."

Ward opened his mouth to say something, but just shut it abruptly.

"The way you looked at her, in the hospital; you've never looked at me that way, not even when we were . . . . ," May took a deep breath, looking down at her hands folded on her lap. "We started this thing for selfish reasons. To relieve the strain of holding in the Berserker rage, to manage stress, to have fun. But it's hardly been a grand love affair."

"I'm sorry."

May looked up at Ward with a wan smile. "No, you shouldn't be. I was the one who set up the rules, who tried to manage things, make it just a pleasant distraction. But it's over and we need to just move on," she said briskly.

"I didn't mean for any of this to happen. I didn't mean to . . ."

"Fall in love with Skye." May finished his sentence.

He winced, but didn't bother to deny the accusation.

"It might surprise you, but I'm not a stranger to having your heart overrule your head," she said gently.

"And you and Coulson?" Ward asked.

"We have some history. It remains to be seen if we will have a future," she said with a wry smile. "Now," she said, standing and walking towards the door, "you should get some sleep. We've got a big day ahead of us tomorrow."

Ward caught her arm to stay her before she could leave. "I really am sorry."

May reached up and cupped Ward's cheek, a small nostalgic smile playing across her lips. "So am I," she sighed. "So am I."

She quickly dropped her hand and straightened her shoulders. "See you in the morning," she called out as walked out the door.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's<strong> **Note**- I can't believe the hiatus is finally over and we are finally getting another Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. episode tonight. I won't get to watch it until Wednesday night, so I beg you, no spoilers please!


	26. Chapter 26

**Ch. 26**

The next morning after the scare at the market, Skye dutifully trained with Volstagg. It was a bit of a mess, since she couldn't even lift the battle axe that was his preferred weapon and his broadsword was no less heavy. They finally settled on some basic self-defense methods, similar to what Ward taught her.

Volstagg was curt with her, never looking her in the eye, so unlike his usual cheery demeanor. Skye felt on edge around him and was desperate to smooth things over.

"I'm sorry . . . about Fandral. I didn't mean to get him in trouble."

Volstagg straightened from his defensive crouch for training. "He only just missed getting thrown in the dungeons. If Loki didn't need him to train the troops, he'd be living out the rest of his days down there."

"And you?"

"A dire warning not to cross him again. I've got a wife and family; I've got no room for disobedience to our king," the last word dripping with venom.

Skye took a deep breath, deciding to press for the answers that Fandral always avoided giving her. "Why haven't Hogun and Sif returned from Vanaheim? What's wrong?" Skye asked.

Volstagg curled his lip in disgust. "Your father will never let the Warriors Three and Sif reunite. It's our punishment. Centuries as friends and now, forever apart."

"Why?"

"When Thor was first banished to Earth, Odin went into Odinsleep and Loki ascended to the throne. We all asked him to rescind the punishment, to let his brother come back home, but he refused, most likely in an irrational attempt to cling to the crown. We convinced Heimdall to let us travel to Earth to bring Thor home. To this day, Loki sees this as the ultimate betrayal, the day we chose Thor over him," Volstagg said thoughtfully.

"Were you all friends before?"

"Perhaps more with Thor than Loki. Loki was always known for his tricks and you never knew when you were going to be on the receiving end of them. Puts one on edge. Still, at the very least we were companions, comrades in arms. We fought together countless times over the centuries. I've no idea how many times we've saved each other's lives. And now this."

The look on his face was unspeakably sad and Skye shifted uncomfortably as she witnessed his private grief over the loss of his friendships.

"Before I came, did he have any friends or anything? When we eat meals together, it's just him and me. What did he do before I was brought to Asgard?"

"Why do you think you are here? He has some advisors, but they are hardly confidantes. A lonelier man I have never met. He's got the throne and no one to share it with. No friends, no queen. What's the use of it all if you end up all alone?"

"But, I'm leaving in a week," Skye insisted.

"Are you? Are you sure he's really going to let you go? With you, he has a family, a child to pass it all down to. Why would he give that all up?"

"He promised me. He promised that I could go back in a week," she repeated firmly.

"Well, then, of course, I am sure that the king will keep his promises. He is such a truthful and forthright individual," he said sarcastically. He took a deep breath and shook his head. "We should resume our training."

00000

After their lunch together, when the servants had vacated the hall for their magic lessons, Skye joined Loki in the middle of the room. She was still a bit sore and achy after the previous day's exertions, although the healers were able to repair the majority of whatever damage she had done. Loki had promised her over breakfast that she would soon be able to do such illusions without similar consequences, however, she needed to try to slowly stretch her abilities, and not push herself quite so hard.

"I have a question, before we begin," she said nervously.

"By all means, my dear. Ask away," he said reasonably.

"The men yesterday. The ones that tried to . . . take me. They called you 'the usurper'."

Loki grinned. "Ah, well. There are some in the kingdom who maintain that I provoked our former king into falling into Odinsleep and that I am using artificial means to keep him there."

"And did you?" Skye asked carefully.

"Well . . . . he was in need of nap. He had gotten quite cranky," Loki smirked.

"You did that? To your own father?" Skye was stricken at the thought.

"Oh, no, my dear, I killed my father. Laufry was king of the Jotuns and I destroyed him in a childish attempt to impress Odin. Although it was no more than he deserved for leaving me to die of exposure as an infant."

"So, Odin actually saved you and you repaid him by what? Putting him in a coma and stealing his throne?" Skye's voice rose with every word.

"My whole life, Odin told me that I was born to be a king, but he lied, because it was always going to be Thor. And not because he was older. Not because he was the 'worthy son'. Because Odin would never allow a Frost Giant to wear Asgard's crown," he said, the bitterness seeping into every word.

"Why? What's so bad about the Frost Giants?"

"You want to see? Fine, my dear. You may regret it." His words came out through clenched teeth. He waved his hand and a Frost Giant appeared in the middle room.

Skye took a step back, more out of surprise than anything else.

"See, this is the monster that Asgardians tell their children about. Be good or a Frost Giant will come and carry you off in the middle of the night. Be obedient or they'll crunch your bones with their razor sharp teeth. That is what I am! That is my legacy!" he screamed, shaking in rage as he let the illusion shimmer away.

"And you hate them! You hate all of them enough to wipe them out of existence!" Skye yelled back.

"Yes!" he hissed.

"So, do you hate me? I'm half Frost Giant, aren't I? Do you hate me?" Skye pressed.

Loki's head jerked back as though he'd been struck. "No. No. No." His words tumbled out as he rushed to her, holding her. "I could never hate you."

She pushed against him gently. "Don't you see? If you hate the Frost Giants for simply being Frost Giants, then you hate me."

Loki let go, his hands dropping to his sides. "The Frost Giants waged terrible wars against Asgard, committed unspeakable atrocities."

"But you didn't aim the Bifrost at just the warriors. You tried to rip apart all of Jotunheim. Women, children, people like me. Don't you see? You might as well have tried to kill me."

Loki shook his head, his eyes shiny with unwept tears. "I never meant to . . . I didn't think of it that way," he said, gulping for breath.

"No, you just let your anger and rage control you. How many hundreds died on Jotunheim?"

"I don't know," he whispered.

"You're the king. Shouldn't you know?"

He nodded slowly. "I never meant to hurt you."

"Then don't tell me that you hate the blood flowing through my veins. That you would try to kill every one of my kind."

"You're right," Loki said. "You're right." He gave her a small smile. "You are quite wise for someone so very young."

"Thanks," Skye said, letting out a shaky breath.

"Would you still like to continue your lesson for this afternoon?" Loki asked, his tone strangely hesitant.

"Sure. I'd love to learn how to do that Frost Giant illusion." Skye desperately wanted to lighten the mood, ease the tension that was so thick in the room. She gave Loki a small smile. "Imagine doing that in the middle of a covert ops."

Loki chuckled softly. "In time, my dear. In time."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note<strong>- I still haven't gotten to see the new episode! I can't wait. Hopefully, by tonight! Please, please no spoilers. I am so looking forward to seeing it!


	27. Chapter 27

**Ch. 27**

The rest of the magic lesson that afternoon with Loki went surprisingly well. Skye noticed he was even gentler with her, not quite so impatient. He showed her a few different techniques to help her focus her power, ways she'd be able to maintain an illusion without passing out afterwards. She was grateful for the lessons, since fainting during an undercover mission was definitely a liability. She spent the rest of her afternoon practicing in her room, trying one type of small smoke illusion after another and she was surprised at how well things were going.

Dinner with Loki, however, was subdued. He was pensive and quiet, not his usual charming self.

"Are you . . . . are you alright?" she asked when they had reached dessert and he hadn't said more than ten words to her.

"One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two," he said quietly.

"Excuse me?" she asked.

"The death toll on Jotunheim. One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two," he repeated.

"Oh." Skye didn't know what to say.

"I asked one of my advisors. He didn't know. None of my advisors knew. I finally rode out to the Observatory and asked Heimdall."

Loki took a steadying breath. "I was so very angry. Angry at Thor, angry at Odin, angry at Laufry, angry at finding out I was a . . . . ." He couldn't bring himself to say the words.

"Are you sorry? That you did it?" Skye's voice was soft, her words tentative and faltering.

"What good does it do to be sorry? Repentance doesn't bring back the dead." There was a twisted bitterness in his tone.

Skye chose her next words carefully. "You're right. You're right. You can't change the past. But you can change the future."

"The future?"

"How you treat the Jotuns and Jotunheim from now on."

"You know, they threatened war, when they found I had escaped my prison sentence and now was king of Asgard." He grinned to himself.

"What did you do?"

"I reminded them that with Laufry dead, I was technically the next in line for the throne, and that if they pressed the point, I'd do my level best to rule over both realms. They quieted down after that."

"Will you leave them alone now?"

"As long as they prove no direct threat to Asgard, I see no reason to have any more dealings with them," Loki said enigmatically.

Skye let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. It wasn't much. But it was a start.

00000

Later on that night, Skye was restless. She couldn't sleep. The events from the past few days, with the attempted kidnapping, the rapid expansion of her powers and Loki's revelations about his past had overwhelmed her.

She took out her phone. She had snatched it to take with her, neglecting to bring her charger in her haste. Not that there were any comparable electrical outlets around Asgard anyway. She had taken a few photos the first few days on Asgard, making sure to turn it off as soon as she could to conserve the battery.

She noticed, however, that instead of taking pictures lately, she was looking at old photos from the Bus more and more. There were a ton of her goofing around with FitzSimmons, giving Leo a stuffed monkey, eating ice cream with Jemma. There were a few of Ward that seemed to tug at her heart a bit, as she never noticed before how serious he was in each one, not even a ghost of a smile gracing his lips. She even had one of Coulson next to Lola, showing her off like a game show hostess. She was upset when she realized she didn't have even one proper photo of May; she was only visible as a figure walking in the background.

That night, when she tried to turn on the phone, in her nightly ritual to soothe herself to sleep, it wouldn't come on; its battery finally dead despite how very careful Skye had been. She left it on her bed and shrugged on a long shawl to go walking around the palace. She knew now that sleep would be hours off and she wanted to see the night sky.

After a few minutes, she found a landing that led to an outside balcony overlooking Asgard and more stars than Skye had ever seen in her whole life. She leaned against the stone railing, letting the cold seep into her skin. She tried to figure out which one of the stars would be the sun, her sun, but after all these weeks she still couldn't find it.

Skye began to cry.

Out of frustration.

Out of loneliness.

She felt so torn. On Asgard, she did have a type of family. She was starting to fit in. Starting to adjust.

But she missed being back home so badly it almost hurt physically. She missed razzing Fitzsimmons. She missed feeling that she was helping out the team.

She missed Ward.

She didn't like to admit it. Not even to herself. Having a crush on your S.O. was ridiculous. And it wasn't like he ever gave her any real indication that he felt the same way.

It wasn't the first time Skye had feelings for someone who didn't return them. She'd cope, she told herself. She'd cope.

"Now, what is this? We can't have tears marring the most perfect visage in all of the Nine Realms."

Skye smiled in spite of herself. Fandral always knew what to say.

She turned and he came to stand in front of her.

"What is it, my dear Skye? What is it that leaves you so hopelessly sad on such a beautiful night?"

"I . . .," Skye began, but she couldn't continue as violent sobs began to rack her body.

He closed the gap between them, holding her as she wept. He just held her and murmured soft words of comfort while she cried.

Finally, after minutes of sobbing, she quieted. She looked up at him and closed her eyes, waiting for the inevitable.

After a moment or two, when nothing happened, she opened her eyes, incredulous and saw Fandral smiling down indulgently at her.

"I would not have our first kiss flavored by the taste of your tears. Grant me that small bit of honor. Even given my rakish reputation, I would have our first true embrace be one of joy, not tinged in sorrow. You are vulnerable and I would not take advantage of the situation, despite how tempted I might be."

Skye's heart broke a bit at the kindness of his words, at the strength of his restraint.

He dropped his hands to his sides and took a step back. "Now my dear, please tell what leaves you so melancholy."

"I guess, I just miss everyone back home. I don't know how they are doing."

"I should not mention this. Indeed, I would most likely be flogged for even being here with you. However, have you considered asking Heimdall how your friends are faring? He can see all. He might be able to put your mind at ease."

Her face brightened at the thought. "That's a great idea. Thank you! I'll go now."

He caught her hand, kissing it. "Your smile is all the thanks I need. Take care, my dear Skye. I would join you, but it would be bad for both of us if I were found in your company."

"Good-bye, Fandral, and thank you."

0000

An hour later, she was entering the Observatory, her horse, Midnight, waiting patiently on the bridge. She steeled herself for her conversation with Heimdall. She hoped she'd be able to convince him to help.

"Um . . . . hi, Heimdall." His back was turned to her as he gazed at the stars.

"Hello, your Highness." His voice was even deeper and richer than she remembered. When he turned, she began to have doubts about her plan.

"So. . . . I was wondering if you could do me a favor."

"A favor? Such as looking in on your friends?"

"You already know?"

"I see all," he said simply.

"Will you? Look in on them and tell me how they are doing?"

"Very well," he paused and looked back at the stars as Skye crept closer to him. A moment or two passed. "They are concerned. They are more than concerned. They are frantic. They are certain that you are in grave danger."

"But . . . but, I'm okay," Skye stammered. "Isn't there any way to let them know that I'm okay?"

Heimdall looked at her, his face full of pity. "There is one way. Although, I'm not sure that the king would approve."

"Please, please, will you help me?"

Heimdall smiled very briefly. "Very well."

00000

"Agent Coulson, you asked me to monitor any S.H.I.E.L.D. reports for any mention of the Bifrost," Fitz said breathlessly after he raced to the lounge where the majority of the team was already assembled. He handed a tablet to Coulson.

Coulson stared at it and his eyes widened. He looked up at the group around him. "There's been another Bifrost inscription. Here's the translation. 'Hi, A. C. I'm okay. Don't worry about me. I'll be back in a week. Skye.'"

"Wait. Wait. Wait. Hold up." Darcy put up her hands in disbelief. "Did she just use the flippin' Bifrost to text you? That chick is hella cool. I really got to meet her. I can't wait for her to come back."

"Neither can we." Coulson put down the tablet, not feeling as reassured as he had hoped. "Neither can we."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note<strong>- I finally saw this week's episode and I loved it! What did you all think?


	28. Chapter 28

**Ch.28**

For the next few nights, Skye met Fandral out at the balcony. He kept his distance, perhaps because he knew she was leaving soon, perhaps out of an exaggerated sense of honor. He never touched her except to kiss her hand. He kept her entertained with stories of his past, of the grand adventures he had gone on with Thor, Loki, and the rest of his friends. She noticed that he seemed to have been closer to Loki than Volstagg had been. Perhaps Fandral appreciated Loki's mischievous nature more than he did.

It was good to hear stories about how her father was before. Before he tried to disrupt Thor's coronation. Before the Destroyer and the Bifrost. Before the Tesseract. Back when he was just a younger brother, just a son, just a prince, just someone's friend.

She tried to hold onto those stories when she thought of her father. Hold onto someone else's memories of him as a different man. And yet, her mind would flash back to the story Coulson told of her mother's village and wondered how different he really was from the men that came in and killed everyone there. Did they justify their actions in their own mind just like Loki always did? Did they minimize what they did as simply collateral damage?

Whenever she thought about going back to Earth, she became more and more confused. She had realized with a start, that she was no longer the same person as she was when she first came to Asgard. She had changed. Her time with her father, her knowledge of her true identity shifted something inside of her. And, she had a small, cold seed of doubt growing inside of her. Heimdall had told her that everyone on the Bus was frantic for her return, but somehow, she was still worried. Would they really accept her back on the team, knowing who her father was? Knowing what he had done?

00000

Skye smiled over to Loki as the servants took away their plates and vacated the chamber. She had been looking forward to this lesson all day long. She was excited to show Loki how she had learned to make the smoke illusion move and spread. She was able now to fill her entire chamber with it with ease. No headache. No exhaustion afterwards.

"Before we begin, my dear, I was wondering if you might be able to do me a favor. There is a wonderful tome in the library that delves into some of the subtler forms of magic that I'd like to teach you. Would you be a dear and fetch it for me? Here is the name." Loki handed her a small piece of paper.

Skye nodded as she took it. From time to time, he asked her to get one book or another from his private massive library. The servants were forbidden to touch the books, as Loki didn't want the information in the various magic books to be widely known. She didn't mind running the errand as Loki's library was one of her favorite rooms in the palace.

00000

A few minutes later, Skye entered the library and began to search for the book in question. Loki had no discernible order to his enormous collection and sometimes she spent nearly an hour trying to find a particular book he wanted.

She was so intent on her task, that she didn't immediately grasp that she wasn't alone in the room. There was a long sofa and armchair at one end of the library, facing a massive stone fireplace. She heard muffled sounds, which surprised her, as she had never seen another soul in the library. As she crept closer, she realized there were two people on the sofa, a man and a woman, locked in a passionate embrace, whispering fervent words to each other.

After a second, she recognized them. Her stomach sank.

It was Fandral. And Halla, her maid.

She backed away as quickly as she could before they could see her. She tore down the corridors of the palace, returning to the hall where Loki was waiting for her.

"That was quick," Loki observed dryly. "Where is the book? My, you seem quite overwrought."

"I . . . saw Fandral. He was with my maid." She fought to keep her tears at bay. She wasn't going to allow herself to cry over him.

"You allowed yourself to form an attachment to him. You needed to be reminded of what he really is."

"You . . . you knew. You sent me to the library, knowing that I would walk in on them." Skye began to clench her fists in anger.

"I had warned you, my dear, that an infatuation with Fandral would end up this way." Loki sighed, "He is such an unsuitable match for you that I would much rather have that Midgardian as my son-in-law."

"Ward . . . we're not . . . I mean, he doesn't . . . "

"My dear, I am over one thousand years old and if there is one thing I have learned, it is that all real love is based on sacrifice. My mother," he paused a bit and swallowed hard, "sacrificed her life, out of love, to protect this kingdom and to protect Thor's beloved Jane. Your Ward launched himself at me to protect you, even knowing he had no feasible chance at success. That, my dear, is love."

"May attacked you, too," Skye pointed out, her anger at Loki seeping away.

"That she did. Not all love is romantic. It is obvious that she cares for you as if you were her own daughter. Even your Agent Coulson showed how highly he regarded you by coming to Asgard and placing himself in my debt."

She sat there for a moment, digesting Loki's words. "Well, even if Ward 'loves' me, why do you keep calling him son-in-law? I mean, we haven't even dated yet."

"Tell me, my dear, how old is he?"

"Thirty-one."

"Your kind rarely makes it to one hundred. And, I take it that his line of work is quite dangerous. A third of his life is already over. Time passes so quickly, my dear. Every moment you have together is precious. Why would you hesitate?"

"Wait. I'm confused. On the one hand, you want me to stay here on Asgard with you and on the other, you want me to go back to Earth and marry Ward? I don't understand." Skye stared up at Loki.

"Skye, I am your father. I would love for you to stay here on Asgard with me. I believe that you will grow to love this kingdom as I do. However, I would never stand in the way of your happiness. And, there is always a third option."

"A third option?"

Loki smiled smugly. "I am sure you could convince the young man to come and live with you here on Asgard. It's not every day that a man marries into royalty."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note<strong>- 250 reviews! You are all beyond amazing. Do you have any idea how excited I get whenever I see a new one? To know that you are enjoying and connecting with this story is an immense joy. Thank you so very, very much!


	29. Chapter 29

**Ch. 29**

"Now, you had mentioned wanting to show me a new extension of your skill?" Loki clearly wanted to change the subject and begin their lesson.

Skye nodded. She took a deep breath and released it slowly, focusing on bending and shaping her will. Slowly, the entire great hall that they were in was covered in an undulating thick fog. The best part was that she felt no ill effects, no undue strain.

"Excellent!" Loki clapped his hands in glee. "I am quite impressed. I had thought it would take you years to progress to this level. You truly do have an innate talent."

Skye dropped the illusion and grinned at the compliment.

"Your grandmother would have been so very proud of you. What a remarkable young woman you are."

"Thank you. I had a good teacher."

"The best," Loki said with a smug smile.

00000

Skye was surprised that Arnleif was in her rooms after her lessons with Loki, although a bit relieved that she wouldn't have to see Halla. She didn't know how she'd be able to face the maid without imagining her in Fandral's embrace.

"Hello, Arnleif; it's good to see you." Skye smiled briefly. Arnleif mostly worked the night shift at the palace and, as such, Skye rarely saw her.

"Hello, your Highness. I'll be covering for Halla the rest of the day. She's out ill."

_Serves her right_, Skye thought darkly.

"Out ill?" Skye strove to keep her voice steady.

"Yes, your Highness. She went to see the healers right before midday. She's been there ever since. She and her husband are expecting, you see, and there are a few concerns about the baby. She's been there under observation ever since. I just came from seeing her."

Skye's head spun in confusion. How could Halla have been at the healers and also with Fandral? She knew what she saw.

Her heart began to thud painfully in her chest as she ran the words through once more.

She knew what she _**saw**_.

Loki. The master of illusion.

Loki. Who had warned her about Fandral repeatedly.

Loki. Who had sent her to the library.

She ran out of her rooms, careened down one corridor after another and finally found Loki's council room. She flung open the massive doors and skidded to a halt in front of a long table with ten or so advisors along with Loki.

"Out, all of you!" Skye yelled, her chest heaving from running so hard.

There were a chorus of angry shouts from the council.

"I am Skye, the royal princess of Asgard, and I say OUT!" she shouted over their protests.

The group looked towards Loki, who gave a brief nod.

Within a minute, the chamber was empty, save the both of them.

"I do hope you have a good excuse for that little display of yours." Loki looked at her calmly and cocked an eyebrow.

"Halla's been at the healers since lunch. She wasn't in the library with Fandral. She's married with a baby on the way. She probably doesn't even know him." Her words came out in an angry rush, tumbling over each other.

"Ah, well. A miscalculation on my part. I probably should have chosen someone you didn't know. I had hoped a more personal betrayal would have struck home a little harder."

"You tricked me, Loki. Why did you do that?" Skye took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down.

"Fandral is well-known for his predilection for seduction. When you met him that first night, all disheveled, where do you think he had been? Why do you think he was wandering the halls so late at night? He's a predator, Skye. He'll use just the right words and just the right tone to tear down your defenses and leave you at his mercy. I've seen countless women fall prey to his form of conquest over the centuries. And, once you've given in, once you believe he truly cares about you, he'll get bored and leave you. All he cares about is the hunt. The chase."

"You didn't have to lie to me."

"I warned you time and time again, my dear, and you wouldn't listen to me. I am your father. I had to protect you. I had to teach you a lesson. Better a little pain now than a broken heart later on."

Skye shook her head and each word came out slowly. Painfully. "It's never going to end with you. The deception. The deceit. I want to be able to trust you. But how many times will you trick and lie to me, even if you think it's for my own good? I've got to go back to Earth. You've got to send me back. Now."

"The agreement was for one month," Loki countered.

"Which is up in a few days. But, I want to go home now. Am I your daughter or your prisoner, Loki? If I am your daughter, take me home now."

"This is your home," Loki pled, the desperation creeping into his voice.

"No, it isn't. I tried. I really did. But this isn't my home." Skye was firm.

"So, then, am I not your father?"

Skye took a deep breath. "You are. But this is not my home. It's yours."

Loki paused for a moment. "Very well then. Collect your things. We shall return to Midgard within the hour."


	30. Chapter 30

**Ch. 30**

Skye looked over her room in the palace one more time. She knew, without a doubt, she'd never live in such a beautiful place again. But, she was ready to go.

Arnleif helped her pack; they needed an enormous wooden trunk to hold all the souvenirs she had gotten for her friends. As she changed back into the jeans and oversized T-shirt she had worn on her trip to Asgard, she realized with a start that the clothes no longer felt as normal and natural as before, that she longed for the beautiful silk dresses she wore for dining and even the loose linen tops and pants that she had for training and riding. At first, she had considered leaving her Asgardian clothes behind, but she found that she couldn't part with them and folded them carefully before laying them gently on top of the souvenirs in the trunk.

Once they had finished, Arnleif called a pair of guards to help carry the massive trunk to the Observatory. Skye gave Arnleif a quick hug good-bye as she tucked her phone in her pocket and asked her to thank Halla for her.

000000

"You don't need to come with me." Skye dismounted Midnight at the Observatory. She gave her horse one last affectionate pat and nodded to the guards who carried the huge trunk inside.

"How ever will you ever manage with that trunk if I am not there to assist you?" Loki looked at her with a sardonic grin as he lowered himself from Odin's horse, Sleipnir.

"So, you are travelling all the way to Earth just to help me with my luggage?" Skye couldn't help but smile. She was no longer furious with Loki, just resigned and somewhat sad.

"Despite all my faults, I would not leave you in the hands of my enemies without first assuring myself of your safety." Loki followed her up the steps to the Observatory.

Skye turned to look at Loki. "They are not your enemies."

"Well, you must admit, they are hardly my friends."

Skye had no answer for that and decided instead to try to mentally prepare herself for the up-coming roller coaster ride that was the Bifrost trip.

"Heimdall," Loki began, "Could you please locate Agent Coulson and his team?"

Heimdall nodded gravely. "As you command, your Majesty." He peered into the swirling starry sky before them.

After a moment, he said, "I have found them. They are all on their transport together parked at an airfield in New Mexico near the original Bifrost site."

"Excellent! Please have us delivered to the original Bifrost coordinates. We have a vehicle waiting there for us."

"Wait! Why would Lola still be there? Didn't Coulson pick it up?" Skye looked at Loki.

"I am sure he would have, if I had ever dropped the cloaking spell. Do not worry; his precious vehicle will be in pristine condition once we return in it."

"You stole Lola! For a month!"

"Actually, technically, you stole Coulson's vehicle. You were the one who took the keys, the one who drove it to the Bifrost. I merely kept it cloaked so that it would remain hidden and, in my benevolence, I protected it from the harsh desert conditions."

Skye rolled her eyes. He always had an answer for everything, an excuse for his actions. "Fine, let's just go."

"Heimdall, if you will do the honors." Loki easily lifted the heavy trunk to hold it in his hands.

"Yes, your Majesty."

All of a sudden, Skye was engulfed in a swirling mass of light. For several seconds, her eyes blurred and her head ached as her brain scrambled to make sense of what she was seeing and feeling.

With a whoosh, they arrived to a contingent of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents pointing their weapons at them. Loki smirked at the operatives barking orders at them, and just as quickly, Skye felt the air shift around them. The agents looked blurry to her and they began to frantically look around them.

"I have cloaked us, my dear." Loki pointed to Lola off to one side.

True to his word, the vehicle was in mint condition, not suffering from any ill effects from being left in the desert for nearly a month. Loki grabbed the trunk and followed Skye to the car. She found the keys right where she had left them for Coulson, tucked in the driver's side sun visor. She opened the trunk of the car and Loki awkwardly crammed her luggage in the back. The massive trunk stuck out of back, but Skye figured they would make it to the plane.

00000

"Sir," Fitz had run to Coulson's office and was breathless from the effort. "There's been another Bifrost incursion reported by the Puente Antiguo operatives. They say they saw Loki with a young dark-haired woman before he disappeared."

"Skye?"

"That's who it seems to be from the description."

"There's still a few days until it's been a month. Something's up. Alert the rest of the team."

As Fitz left, Coulson tried to focus on the problem at hand. What was Loki doing here early? What had he done to Skye these past few weeks? He shuddered at the thought.

00000

Skye drove Lola into the open cargo bay. She followed Loki into the lounge. "Shouldn't we decloak or something?"

"Very well," he said and in an instant, they were visible to May and Ward who were reviewing a report on the couch.

Ward looked up and clenched his teeth as he stood. "Sir, they're here!" he shouted.

"Step away from Loki, Skye," May said as she began to circle around them slowly.

"Why? It's fine. It's okay. He won't hurt me."

"Skye, he isn't your father. Now, step away from him." Ward never took his eyes off Loki.

"Of course I am her father. You think I am in the habit of whisking people away to live in the palace on a whim?" Loki gave them a bemused smile.

"No one knows what your motivations are anymore. Lady Skye, please step away from my brother," came a booming voice behind them.

Skye was confused, but slowly edged away from Loki towards Ward.

"Thor," Loki said with narrowed eyes.

"Yes," Coulson said smugly as he entered the lounge along with Fitzsimmons. "I called him in after you told me about the fact he was staying with Jane. I never would have known of his whereabouts if you hadn't told me. I really must thank you for that."

Loki winced at his words, but quickly recovered. "You see, my dear, why I was concerned about returning you to this brainless lot. You can just feel the violence in the air. They are just itching to attack." Loki crossed his arms and smirked.

"You are not Skye's father," Coulson said firmly. "Thor told us the truth."

"And you believed this witless oaf." Loki gestured towards Thor who gripped Mjolnir tightly. "Oh dear, it does seem that you were misinformed. I am most definitely Skye's father. Tell me, is there no way to determine paternity in this primitive realm of yours?"

"We could do a cheek swab test?" Simmons offered meekly.

"Finally, a voice of reason. And will this test prove that Skye is my daughter?" Loki inquired.

Simmons nodded. "I have all we need in the lab. It should only take a few minutes."

"Excellent. What a sensible young woman. Let us proceed." Loki followed Simmons and Skye, with the rest of the team and Thor following, to the lab were Darcy and Jane were working.

"Um, if you'll just sit down," Simmons began nervously as she showed Loki to a chair. She busied herself with retrieving the testing equipment.

"Loki," Jane said evenly when she saw him.

"Ah, Jane Foster, Thor's beloved. It does seem that everyone has come for this little reunion. Did you tell them, Jane Foster, how I saved your life, twice on Svartalfheim? Or do they only know of my many misdeeds?"

"I . . . " she began.

"Do not try to reason with him, Jane. He will only twist your words to his own advantage." Thor put a protective arm around Jane and glared at his brother.

"Skye, I'll need a sample from you, too," Simmons added.

Skye walked over to take a seat next to Loki, but Ward caught her arm. "Why don't you sit over there?" he suggested, pointing at a chair on the opposite side of the room next to Darcy.

"Fine," she huffed. "This is ridiculous. I've been with him for a month. He hasn't hurt me. I'm okay."

"You mean he kidnapped you for a month, Skye," Coulson said pointedly, his arms crossed as he stared daggers at Loki.

"Oh, there was no kidnapping. She came with me willingly," Loki pointed out.

"What?" Ward asked sharply.

"He said he had answers. I wanted to know about my past," Skye admitted sheepishly.

"We . . . .we were worried sick about you. We've been working ourselves into an exhaustion just to try to create a Bifrost device to come and get you," Fitz had worked himself into a frenzy, but then deflated when he glanced over at Loki, "and I probably shouldn't have mentioned that in front of the evil mastermind."

"A Bifrost device. How very useful," Loki said with a sly smile.

Simmons approached him skittishly with a long Q-tip. "Now, if you'll just open your mouth, I'll use this to scrap along the inside of your cheek to get enough DNA to compare to Skye's in order to determine paternity."

She walked nervously towards him. "Oh my dear, I don't bite," Loki purred and then grinned at her wolfishly, "Unless you'd like me to."

"Dude, no offense, but your dad's kinda hot," Darcy whispered to Skye.

"Who are you?" Skye asked, bewildered.

"Oh, hi," Darcy said, grinning and giving Skye a little wave. "I'm Darcy, your uncle's girlfriend's intern." Darcy chucked at Skye confused look. "It's a bit complicated."

Simmons approached Skye and got a sample from her. "Alright, it should take a few minutes for everything to process."

"What happened to Father? Why are you on Asgard's throne?" Thor asked Loki.

"Odin fell into Odinsleep. Since you formally abdicated the throne, I was next in line. Given the recent disruption in the Nine Realms, the advisory council thought it unwise to leave Asgard without a ruler."

"Odinsleep?"

"Well, you remember how weak he was, how erratic his behavior was before the ambush with Malekith," Loki looked over at Skye and pursed his lips. "He was near death from the strain, from putting it off. I forced him into Odinsleep for his own good. He'll need to rest for several decades to restore his strength at this point."

Thor nodded grimly. It hadn't escaped his notice that his father had grown increasingly weary and frail. "So, you did not die on Svartalfheim?"

"Well, you did promise life imprisonment after we had completed our revenge. You'll forgive me if I did my best to avoid that fate."

"And Asgard? How does it fare under your rule?" Thor asked, earnestly.

"Ask your niece. She was there for nearly a month. She can tell you," Loki offered.

All eyes turned to Skye. "Honestly, I don't have much experience with monarchy, more a democracy kind of gal, but he seemed to be doing well. I mean he was always meeting with his advisors, forming treaties and agreements with the other realms. He seemed to care about Asgard."

Thor looked at Loki thoughtfully. "You will forgive me if I desire to see your benevolent rule with my own eyes."

Loki winced a bit at having his words thrown back at him. "Of course," he grinned, but his smile did not reach his eyes.

"I've got the results," Simmons said triumphantly.

"And?" Coulson asked with baited breath.

"It's a match. Loki is Skye's father."

Coulson felt something inside of him shatter. Skye was really the daughter of the man that killed him. He realized that for these past few weeks he was clinging to the hope that Thor was right. The thought of her permanently tied to that genocidal madman turned Coulson's stomach.

"See, I told you. So, did you guys ever get the Clarivoyant? You know, the guy who ordered Quinn to shoot me?" Skye asked in an attempt to change the subject.

"No, we've been a bit busy," May said tersely.

"We've been keeping up with the S.H.I.E.L.D. reports, but they still haven't tracked him down," Ward explained.

"This Clarivoyant ordered your murder? And he still hasn't been apprehended?" Loki asked as he stood. "You are hardly safe here."

"We'll protect her," Ward affirmed, moving to stand between Loki and Skye.

"Yes, you did a marvelous job of it earlier. How many times did that Quinn shoot her? And where exactly were you when that happened?" Loki sneered.

"I'm not going back," Skye said firmly.

"And I am not leaving you here to be slaughtered," Loki replied.

"Wait, wait, wait. I've got an idea," Darcy said, jumping off her stool and putting up her hands.

As she explained her plan, Loki smiled in spite of himself. "What a clever young lady." His eyes traveled her form and he smiled in appreciation of her beauty. "What is your name again?"

* * *

><p>Author's Note - Only one more chapter to go! We'll find out about Darcy's plan in the next chapter.<p> 


	31. Chapter 31

**Ch. 31**

An hour later, Thor and Loki returned from their errand, a gagged and manacled middle-aged man on a long chain trailing behind them.

"So, that's the Clairvoyant?" Fitz asked as Loki brought him into the lounge where the rest of the group had assembled.

Everyone stared at the prisoner. He was just so ordinary, almost boring. Average height, average weight, brown hair and eyes, black horn-rimmed glasses. You would pass on the street a thousand times and never even realize it.

"Yes, it is. It was quite easy to find him. They may have had a Clairvoyant, but we have a Heimdall." Loki turned to bow to Darcy. "Thank you again, my dear, for the suggestion."

"No problem." She grinned at Loki.

"Owww," Darcy said as Jane nudged her in the ribs. "What? He's hot."

"He's under a life sentence for multiple murders," Jane hissed softly to her.

"Half the guys I've dated have a rap sheet," Darcy said dismissively as Jane rolled her eyes.

"So, now what?" May asked. "I take it you aren't going to hand him over to S.H.I.E.L.D. custody."

"He is not of your realm. He does not belong here," Thor explained gently.

"What is he?" Simmons asked, clearly intrigued.

"A norn. They are usually female. He is the first male one I have ever come across. Norns have the ability to shape the future, change your fate," Thor said.

"Only this one does not possess the ability to change the future. He can only see it. That is why he was banished from his realm and disgraced. However, predicting the future does have its advantages, especially here. He had hoped that by injuring Skye, he would be able to ascertain the cause of Agent Coulson's regeneration," Loki explained

"If he can see the future, why wasn't he able to anticipate that Coulson was going to go to Asgard or that you and Thor were coming after him?" Ward asked.

"He can only focus on one realm at a time. The regeneration, his trip to Asgard, and Loki and I pursuing him all pertained to another realm. He was, quite literally, blinded to it."

"Where are you taking him?" Coulson demanded.

"You are unable to hold him successfully on your world. He must be kept on Asgard," Thor said patiently.

"You're letting Loki leave with him? What about Centipede? We need to interrogate him," Ward insisted.

"Without him, his organization is in a shambles. I will conduct a thorough investigation myself and relate any pertinent details I discover via the Bifrost," Loki assured him with a grin.

"Sir," May said quietly to Coulson, "are you sure it's a good idea to let Loki get his hands on someone who can tell the future? He could be a powerful weapon."

Coulson looked at both Loki and Thor. Against one of them, maybe they had a chance, but definitely not both. "It doesn't look like we have much of a choice."

Thor crossed the room to hold Jane's hands. "I must accompany my brother back to Asgard, at least for a little while, to make sure that the prisoner is secured and that Asgard is thriving under Loki's rule."

Jane nodded bravely and he gently leaned down and kissed her.

"Well, that's just great. You two are just going to go swanning off and leave us with this great big mess," Fitz complained bitterly.

"And what mess, exactly, are you referring to?" Loki inquired acidly.

"We are all about to get fired from S.H.I.E.L.D. over everything that we've done to help Skye. And Director Fury is, well, furious at us."

"Oh, Director Fury. How delightful. Do you have some way to contact him? I'd love to speak with him and sort this all out," Loki grinned.

Fitz looked over at Coulson, who just shrugged his shoulders and then nodded. Fitz spent the next few minutes patching a secure video call through to Director Fury.

"Now, what's this about Loki?" Fury barked at Coulson.

Loki stepped into view. "That's King Loki to you."

Fury visibly tensed. "What are you doing on Earth?"

"Just returning my daughter to her group of friends. It seems as though there was a bit of confusion I needed to clear up. I take it that you are eager that Asgard and Midgard remain on good terms. That we remain allies?"

"Yes," Fury said slowly.

"Excellent. Then, I am sure that you will not hold the actions my daughter's team took to insure her wellbeing against them. I am sure that you will fully reinstate them without any blemish on their record."

"Are you threatening me, Loki?"

"Not threatening, Director Fury, just making sure that if I leave my beloved daughter on Midgard she will be treated with all the care and respect royalty from Asgard would expect. That would extend to the rest of her team."

Skye tiptoed over to Loki and whispered in his ear.

"Ah, yes," Loki continued, "I am also sure that S.H.I.E.L.D. will authorize a pay raise for this team as well as fully fund Dr. Foster's research." Loki saw Darcy waving frantically off-screen and pointing to herself. He shook his head and bit back a laugh. "That, of course, includes paying for her assistant, Miss Lewis."

"Any more ransom demands?" Fury asked sarcastically.

"Oh, you wound me. I am merely trying to reassure myself that my daughter will be in the best of hands. I would not want to have to return to Midgard. I will have Heimdall constantly monitoring her to make sure that all is well."

"Okay. Fine. If that's what it takes to get you to leave," Fury bit out through clenched teeth.

"Excellent. I hope that we never need see each other again," Loki threatened darkly.

"Believe me. The feeling is mutual." Fury cut the connection.

"Thanks, dad," Skye said, tentatively as she approached him once again. It was the first time she had ever said it aloud to him.

"You are most welcome, my dear daughter. I meant what I said. I will have Heimdall watch for you to assure your safety." Loki gave her a brief hug. "You take care."

Then, he turned from Skye to Ward. "You have promised to protect her. See that you do."

"I will," Ward said curtly.

"Well, as much as I love long good-byes, we should be on our way," Loki said briskly to Thor.

Thor nodded to Loki and kissed Jane once more. They took the prisoner down the cargo bay ramp and onto the middle of the airfield. Jane, Darcy and the rest of Coulson's team followed, keeping their distance.

"Heimdall, if you will," Loki said.

There was a vibrant cascade of rainbow-colored light and the on-lookers had to squint at its brilliance.

"Thor?" Jane said as she saw that he had remained behind.

"You have got to be kidding me," Ward said, frustration written all over his face.

"He tricked me once again," Thor said in resignation.

"So, now Loki has the Clairvoyant and we've got no way to get back to Asgard," May pointed out.

They turned as a group and walked back to the Bus. "Well," Fitz said optimistically, "we're nearly done with our Bifrost device. Another four or five months or so and it'll be done and we'll be able to pop in on Asgard whenever we feel like it."

"Well, there is that," Dr. Foster agreed.

A few moments later, once they were all back on the Bus, they heard Simmons shriek from the lab.

The entire group jogged over to the room.

"He's destroyed everything. The device, the supplies, our computers, our backups, our notes," Fitz said, looking over at everything in horror.

"But how?" May asked. "We were with him the entire time."

"He created an illusion. An illusion of him standing there while he was wrecking everything. He kept an illusion of the lab in pristine condition until he left. Did you have anything backed up in the cloud?" Skye asked.

"No, the information was too sensitive. We were worried that it might get hacked," Jane said.

"We're going to have to start again. From scratch." Simmons sounded tired, resigned.

Jane turned to Coulson. "I know you guys just got reinstated for active duty, but you've got to admit this should probably take priority. We'll need at least five, six months to complete it. Maybe more."

Coulson nodded. "I'll clear it with Director Fury. I'm sure he'll be interested in making sure that Asgard can't just pop by without any repercussions."

"I must return to Asgard. I must be able to see for myself how it fares under Loki's rule." Thor expression was thoughtful.

"Well, it seems we're in agreement. I'll contact Director Fury and get it set up."

000000

A few hours later, Darcy and Jemma sat down on either side of Skye on the lounge couch. Skye grinned. It was nice to be back. Everyone loved their gifts from Asgard. Fitz was in the lab at the moment taking the elven blaster apart.

Skye had missed hanging out with Jemma so much and she had to admit, even though she had just met Darcy, she really liked Jane's intern.

"So, can you do any cool stuff like your dad?" Darcy asked eagerly.

"Oh, yeah, look!" Skye said, excitedly. The room filled with smoke for a moment and then she let the illusion fade away.

Simmons eyes got wide. "Wow. I can't even begin to . . . I mean, to be able to manipulate light and energy like that. It's fascinating. I can't wait to study you."

"I'm not a guinea pig." Skye's tone was a bit sharper than she'd meant it to be.

"So, any cute guys on Asgard?" Darcy was clearly trying to change the subject and smooth things over.

"Yes, anyone you fancied?" Jemma leaned forward.

"Well," Skye hedged, acutely aware that Ward was standing at the bar, making himself a drink and listening intently to their conversation. "I did have one friend, Fandral."

"Robin Hood looking dude?" Darcy asked excitedly.

"Um, yes." Skye blinked.

"Dude, I totally made out with that guy," Darcy boasted.

"Wait; You, what?"

"Yeah, it was like two years ago. He and his friends came down to get Thor. He's a major hottie and such a flirt. Are you telling me you guys were just friends?" Darcy asked.

"Yep, purely platonic." _At least mostly,_ Skye thought.

"Your loss. I mean, that guy had centuries of experience."

Skye smiled wanly at Darcy.

Jemma looked over at Darcy, "We should get dinner started."

"Sounds good. It's lasagna night. I have to make a whole extra one just for Thor. I swear, it goes straight to his muscles." Darcy stood up and stretched. She walked towards the kitchen area and Jemma followed.

Ward walked over to the couch and sat down next to Skye. "So, purely platonic?" he asked.

"Yep."

"Good." He gave her a self-satisfied smile.

"Good?" Skye asked tentatively as she searched his face for signs about how he felt about her. Maybe Loki was right. Maybe Ward did care for her.

"Oh, yeah, very good," Ward said, his voice husky with emotion, as he slowly leaned in to kiss her.

She smelled the scotch on his breath, tasted it on his lips as the kiss deepened. He slid one arm around her waist and trailed kisses along her cheek to her neck. She gasped as he tangled his other hand in hair and he chuckled softly into her ear, "Very, very good."

00000

Coulson walked into the lounge area to see Ward and Skye on the couch, kissing passionately. His first instinct was to say something, but he decided to just turn around and walk back to his office. Their team had broken who knew how many protocols in the past month, one more hardly mattered. He consoled himself with the fact that at least he got Lola back in one piece.

When he thought back to it all, he realized, even with everything that had happened, with Loki, with Fury, he was glad that he did what he did, glad that he had paid the price. Having his team whole was worth it. Having Skye back was worth any price.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note<strong>- I hope you've enjoyed this little story.

Thank you so much for all of the follows, favorites and reviews of this story. Every PM from you has given me a huge smile. And to those of you who have favorited me or followed me as an author, I really can't thank you enough.

Now, my original plan was to make this a very short story and end it with Chapter 5, right where Loki tells his advisor that he's going to let Coulson twist in the wind over the favor for a few decades.

However, you, my dear readers, were amazingly supportive, your reviews were beyond encouraging and I ended up adding another 26 chapters.

So, I began to write and write and write. Between this story and "**The Captain's Bride**", I've been posting 9,000-12,000 words a week. Now that I've come to the end of this story, I have to admit, I'm ready for a little break.

On the other hand, I'm itching to write a sequel, dear readers. I've got dozens of ideas buzzing around in my head. Therefore, here's my plan. I'll take off for a couple weeks, rest a bit, and finish up **"The Captain's Bride".**

I won't mark this story complete and I'll just start the sequel on Chapter 32. If you are following this story, in few weeks you should get a wonderful little email in your inbox, letting you know that Chapter 32 has been posted.

So, dear readers, would you like a **sequel?**

* * *

><p>If you liked this story, there are a few more stories I've written that you might enjoy.<p>

If you like the interaction between Loki and Coulson, I've written a funny, extremely short one-shot called "**Linguistics**" you might like.

If you love the character of Loki and want to see more of him, I've written a series of Loki/Darcy stories, you might enjoy. The first one is called** "Lima Syndrome"**. The next is "**Stockholm Syndrome**". The next ones in the series are "**Loki's First Halloween", "Loki's First Thanksgiving", "Loki's First Christmas"** and "**Loki's First Valentine's Day".**

For my Skyeward and Philinda fans, I have "**They Think I Don't Know**."

And, I have to put in another recommendation for my absolute overriding passion at the moment,** "The Captain's Bride"**. It's an Avengers story (with plenty of Agents of Shield references). If you enjoyed the cliffhangers, mystery and romance in this story, you'll love **"The Captain's Bride".**


	32. The Gift Ch 1

**The Gift**

**The sequel to The Price**

**Ch. 1**

He stood in front of the full-length mirror, fiddling with his bow tie. He'd done it a hundred times before, but this time it actually mattered and his hands began to shake slightly. How many times had he worn a tux undercover? Why was it that he just now seemed to completely forget the right way to wear a cumberband?

He looked around the empty room, grinning slightly. Finding a church on such short notice had been difficult even for a team with their seemingly unlimited resources. He would have been fine at a courthouse or even having one of the team members perform the ceremony on the Bus.

But, she had been insistent and very specific. A small church, painted white. Light blue hydrangeas. A big white dress, Simmons and May dressed in identical cornflower blue gowns. Coulson and Fitz in tuxes.

And he gave in to every wish. He could deny her nothing. So, here they were, only two months since their first kiss, getting married in a tiny church somewhere in middle America.

"You seem to be having a bit of difficulty with your neck-wear," a cultured voice came out of nowhere.

Ward tensed. There was, of course, always a downside to getting married. The in-laws.

More specifically, his future father-in-law.

"How did you get here Loki?" Ward said evenly as he turned around and faced him. Despite his instinct to lash out, he reminded himself that for all his many faults, he was still Skye's father.

Loki was dressed in a tuxedo that matched his own, a smirk permanently attached to his face.

"Well, you know the answer to that. Unlike your little team, I actually have a working Bifrost. You know, I had to come to inform you of major breach in etiquette. It seems as though my invitation was lost in the mail," Loki sneered.

"You weren't invited to the wedding since the last time you showed up, you trashed our lab," Ward countered.

"Yes, well, I couldn't have you all popping up to Asgard uninvited. It could create all sorts of awkward situations," Loki said.

Ward couldn't help but grin. "And why are you here now?"

"Why to help my dear future son-in-law with his neck-wear, of course," Loki said smoothly as he reached over and began to expertly tie Ward's bow tie. Ward wanted to pull away, but he forced himself to remain still.

After Loki finished, he smiled. "There all better," he said. Then, inhumanly fast, Loki grabbed Ward by his lapels and roughly pulled him towards Loki.

"If you ever harm my daughter, or cause her a moment of sorrow, I will wear your intestines as a necklace. Am I making myself perfectly clear?" Loki snarled in a tone that made Ward's blood run cold.

Ward nodded, not trusting his voice.

"Good," Loki said, smoothing out Ward's lapels. "Let's all enjoy the festivities."

Ward gulped. Who said weddings were dull?

* * *

><p>Author's Notes-<p>

1. I'm back. I keep my promises.

2. Wow! What a roller coaster ride we've been on since episode 13, "Tracks". I can't believe the finale is next week.

3. **The Captain's Bride** is still being written (80,000 words and counting) and if you haven't had a chance to check it out, please do!

4. For those of you who've watched Captain America: The Winter Soldier, I've started a post CA:TWS story, **Information**. I'd love to know what you think.

5. I have plotted out this story and it should be as long as "The Price". I wasn't going to post anything until the season finale, but I got too excited about this first scene and wanted to upload it right away. However, I probably won't post the next chapter for a least another week or so.

6. I really missed you all so much!


	33. The Gift Ch 2

**The Gift Ch. 2 **

Ward jogged to catch up with Loki's long strides as he walked down the corridor to the main sanctuary. He stood in front of his future father-in-law, blocking his path.

"You're not going to cause any trouble, Loki. This is her big day, our big day. She's been planning it for weeks. Looking forward to it her whole life. So, you aren't going to do anything to jeopardize that. You're going to behave," Ward said in a stern voice.

Loki grinned at Ward. This child, an infant, really compared to all of Loki's centuries, was trying to give him a lecture.

He brushed past Ward. "Whatever do you think would entice me to be on my good behavior?" Loki scoffed over his shoulder as he stalked down the hall.

"You love her," Ward called after him.

Loki stopped, clenching his hands.

Ward walked over to him. "You love her. She is your daughter and you're not going to do anything to ruin this day for her."

Loki gave him a brief smile. "I was right about you. A good choice, indeed. Very well, I will behave. For today only."

"Thank you." There was a brief pause before Ward forged ahead. "Also, Coulson's walking her down the aisle."

"Ah. Playing the part of the father," Loki said acidly.

"On Earth, he has been. He's been there for her. You've said so yourself."

Loki took a deep breath. "Well, it is a Midgardian ceremony. I suppose a Midgardian can do the honors. Alright, I won't object. However, don't expect this benevolence to last too long."

Ward tried to hide a grin as he stepped forward to push open the side doors of the sanctuary for Loki. "Of course not."

00000

It was a small church and the main sanctuary barely held the congregation of ninety or so people who attended most Sundays. However, while their extended group often made the Bus seem overcrowded, they barely took up the first pew of the church. Fitz was standing next to the pastor, a kindly gentleman in his fifties that had genuinely liked Skye and Ward when he first met them a few days ago and was more than happy to officiate the ceremony.

Thor was sitting next to Jane in the front pew. He disliked the suit she had chosen for him to wear. Given his broad shoulders, he was forced to wear a jacket that felt two sizes too big for him in the waist and he felt slovenly. He missed his tailor back on Asgard who crafted the most exquisite clothes to his exact measurements. He felt that the standardized Midgardian clothing he was forced to wear was all misshaped and poorly made.

Jane fiddled with her watch. She was never one for weddings and this was no exception. She liked both Ward and Skye and wished them well, however. As she looked wistfully over at Thor, she wondered when he would ever ask her to walk down the aisle.

Next to Jane, Darcy tapped her newly polished nails against the seat of the wooden pews and adjusted the hem of her new emerald green dress. She and Skye had gone shopping together; Skye found the perfect wedding gown and Darcy bought a fun, flirty party dress, a change from her usual jeans and sweaters.

Not that she had any real reason to get so dressed up. Skye was marrying the last truly available guy onboard. At first, Darcy was a bit surprised at the rushed nuptials, but after Skye assured her that no, they weren't expecting, it made sense. If Darcy had a hottie like Ward on the hook, she'd lock that boy down and quick.

Darcy looked up at the altar with Fitz bouncing up and down nervously on his heels. He was adorable, like a soft, little bunny, but he also reminded her uncomfortably of Ian, the intern. Their time together was a short-lived dating catastrophe. Yep, the next time she dated someone, it was going to be someone decisive, someone who knew his mind. She was tired of guys she could just steamroll over.

Fitz wiped his palms nervously on the leg of his pants. He had been flattered when Ward asked him to be his best man. Of course, he was a little less flattered when Ward pointed out that Fitz was basically the only guy that Ward knew who could make it to the wedding on such short notice.

Still, Fitz took his best man duties quite seriously. He had a short wedding toast speech tucked away in one suit jacket pocket and the two wedding rings in the other. He had been relieved that Ward had insisted on skipping a stag night as Fitz couldn't imagine taking Coulson and Thor along with them to a gentlemen's club.

The side door to the church opened and Fitz looked up, expecting to see Ward coming up to take his place next to the pastor. He gulped and began to shake when he saw Loki instead.

"Thor, it's . . . it's . . .," he began, pointing at Loki.

Thor stood and turned to face his brother.

"The father of the bride. You needn't worry. I come in peace," Loki said smoothly as he approached the front of the church, Ward trailing after him. "I propose a truce in honor of this most happy occasion."

Thor grimaced. "I find it hard to believe you, brother, since the last time we met, you deceived us all."

"I can understand your reticence. However, think about your niece. You don't want to be cause for the ruination of her wedding day," Loki reasoned as he walked towards the front pew.

"Fine. We are at peace for this one day. But, I warn you, Loki. I am doing this for Skye, not for you," Thor said gravely.

"Of course," Loki said with a smile as he settled down next to Darcy, giving her an appreciative look. "My dear Miss Lewis. You look quite ravishing."

Darcy's eyes widened. "Um . . . thanks?"

Ward took his place next to Fitz, giving the younger man a reassuring half-smile. Well, they made it through the last ten minutes without open violence. Maybe this wedding was going to go off without a hitch after all.

Of course, there was a major flaw in that line of thinking.

Nobody had talked to May.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes-<strong>

1. Yes, I know I was going to wait to post the next chapter until after the season finale. Well, this chapter went a bit long (trying to keep them around 1,000 words or so) and I thought you'd all like a bit of wedding goodness to kickstart your weekend.

2. Thank you all for the immensely kind reviews for the previous chapter. You are all unfailingly encouraging and you, dear readers, are the reason I write.


	34. The Gift Ch 3

**The Gift**

**Ch. 3**

May had to admit it; she actually rather liked the dress that Skye had picked out. Although May wasn't one for deep female friendships, she was nearing fifty and this was hardly her first time as a bridesmaid. For some reason, bridesmaid dresses always seemed to her to be uniformly ugly. However, this one avoided all the usual excesses, as it was a rather simple sleeveless dress with an A-line skirt. While the pastel blue color wouldn't have been May's first choice, it did match her bouquet of hydrangeas quite nicely. All in all, it could have been much worse.

She had actually gotten to know Skye a bit better in the past few months and she really did admire the girl. Going on the information Skye had gotten from Loki, she and Skye had spent a week in the Hunan province of China, tracking down Skye's extended family. They had found an aunt and a distant cousin who had been able to give Skye a few more details about her deceased mother. The best part was that her aunt had a photo of Skye's mother that she gave to Skye. Skye later scanned the image to make it smaller and wore it in a locket around her neck.

May began to smile slightly and straightened her shoulders when the first strains of the wedding music started. Last night's rehearsal had been haphazard at best, since the elderly organist was hard of hearing and kept missing the cues.

As May strode into the small church, she immediately felt like something was off. There was a tension in the air that had been absent the night before. As she scanned the small sanctuary, her stomach sank when she saw what was wrong. Sitting next to Darcy was Loki. Everyone seemed oblivious to him and she briefly wondered if he was using some type of cloaking spell.

As she approached the front of the church, she was a study in nonchalant grace, never giving away the calculations that were whirling inside of her brain. Once she was even with the first row, there was a blur of motion as she chucked her bouquet and launched herself at Loki. She straddled his lap and held a blade to his neck.

"As enticing as it is to have a lap full of such a lovely and quite tempting lady, I am so very sorry to disappoint you," Loki purred. "I have come here as a gesture of peace and goodwill and have been granted safe passage by Thor and his associates for the day."

May looked over at Thor who nodded. "It is as he says, Lady Melinda."

Slowly, May removed the knife from Loki's throat and hopped off his lap.

"Dude, where did you keep the knife?" Darcy asked, beyond impressed.

"Can you keep a secret?" May asked.

Darcy nodded.

"So can I," May said with a wink as she picked up her rather beleaguered bouquet from where she had thrown it. "I'm going back and telling Coulson and the rest of them so that we don't have a repeat of this little incident," she said dryly as she headed back down the aisle.

The organist looked up, a bit confused. "Are we doing it over again?" she asked in a wavering tone.

The pastor just smiled nervously. So much for the nice, sweet couple he had counseled. With in-laws like that, he would make sure to add them to his daily prayers. They'd need it.

00000

Jemma sighed once again as she looked at the lovely bouquet in her hands. She was hardly a traditionalist, but even she had to admit there was something heartwarming about the setting that Skye had picked out. It made sense, really. She had spent her whole life tossed from one foster home to the next and while it was for her own good, it left her longing for a sense of permanence and home.

And, as Jemma looked around the little church, she agreed with Skye that this was a perfect setting, picturesque and quaint, so different from the topsy-turvy life she had known before. Jemma had never really given much thought about marriage before, consigning it to something that she'd worry about in five or ten years' time. For the present, she was more than content, exploring phenomena she had never even dreamed of, Fitz right there by her side.

The music began once again. May had already gone out and come back again, telling them all about their unwanted wedding crasher. It put them all a bit on edge, but they had been half-expecting it. Loki had warned that he would have Heimdall watching them and it was a known possibility that he'd show up. Skye took the news rather well, just shrugging and shaking her head slightly.

Jemma walked down the aisle, beaming at the small group. She was quite happy for both of them and was sure that it was going to be a lovely wedding. She took her place opposite Fitz and gave him a wink.

Then, the rest of the group stood and looked to the back of the church expectantly as the first strains of "Here Comes The Bride" began to play.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes-<strong>

1. They renewed AOS for another season! I totally did a dance of joy when I found out!

2. Chapter 24 of **"The Captain's Bride"** (Avengers love story) is up!

3. Chapter 5 of **"Information"** (post-CA:TWS adventure with Sam and Steve) is up!


	35. The Gift Ch 4

**Ch. 4 **

As Coulson stood next to Skye, he knew, without a doubt, he couldn't have been prouder if she were his own daughter. They had been through so much together and she never ceased to amaze him. Her capacity to love and care for others despite her rough upbringing was truly mind-boggling.

He stood a bit straighter as "Here Comes The Bride" began.

"Ready, kiddo?"

She gave him a big grin. "For the longest time."

Skye couldn't believe that this day had finally happened. A chance to be with Grant forever. She smiled at herself. She had thought of him for so long by his last name that his first seemed foreign, unfamiliar on her lips. Grant. Her Grant.

It was a chance to have something she had never had before. A family. She appreciated what Loki did for her, offering her a place on Asgard. But for her, home would always be in Grant's arms.

She looked down at the white wedding dress she had chosen and she couldn't have been happier. The bodice was strapless with a sweetheart neckline and was covered in delicate, intricate embroidery and pearl beading. Her skirt was a full satin ballgown with a huge petticoat underneath, along with matching embroidery and beading along the hem, creating images of swirls of flowers and leaves. She tugged a bit on the train, careful not to let Coulson step on it. She found it ironic that she had lived in a palace as royalty with Loki, but this was the first time she truly felt like a princess.

"The veil," Coulson reminded her and Skye nodded.

Her hair was pinned back in a low chignon with the two-tiered matching beaded veil tucked into it. She flipped the top layer of the veil over and tried to straighten it.

"Allow me," Coulson said, helping to smooth it out. He was savouring these last few moments before he'd have to face Loki, before he'd have to share his father of the bride duties. He knew that Loki was likely to show up, but he had hoped against hope to have this one last day as Skye's "dad".

Coulson had already taken over the other father of the bride duties, over Skye's numerous protests. He paid for the wedding dress, the flowers, the venue, the reception. He would have paid for their honeymoon, too, but Ward had beaten him to the punch.

Coulson tried to blink back the tears that were beginning to well in his eyes. He wasn't the most emotional of men, preferring to defuse situations with a wry comment or a dry quip. But neither could he easily deny the weight of this moment. He loved Skye dearly and he was so glad to be a part of this day.

"Let's go," he said, almost reluctantly, feeling as though he were going to give his own daughter away in marriage.

As they walked arm in arm down the aisle, they both smiled at their friends before them.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here to celebrate the happy union of Skye and Grant. You represent their closest friends, the only people that they want to share this happy day with," the pastor began.

"Who gives this woman away to be married?" the pastor asked, smiling down at Coulson and Skye in front of him.

Coulson opened his mouth, but Loki jumped in. "We both do," he said smoothly, causing Coulson to roll his eyes.

Skye tensed. The ceremony had just begun and already Loki was proving to be a problem.

The pastor just shrugged. At this point, he was glad that at least no one was openly brandishing weapons.

Coulson lifted the veil and gave Skye a brief kiss on her cheek. "Don't let him get to you," she said softly.

As he pulled away, a smile tugged at his lips. That was his Skye, looking out for others, always putting them first. He placed Skye's hand in Ward's, giving Ward a wink, before taking his place next to Fitz.

"Marriage. Marriage is what brings us together today. That blessed event. That dream within a dream," the pastor started amid the giggling of the guests. He smiled along with them. Who knew that "The Princess Bride" was Skye's favorite movie?

"What's so funny?" Loki hissed fiercely into Darcy's ear.

Darcy bit her lip, his warm breath tickling her neck. "It's just a reference to a movie."

Loki harrumphed and crossed his arms, not liking the feeling of being left out.

The pastor began again once everyone had settled down. "Marriage is truly a gift from God. The ability to spend the rest of your life with the person that you love. To share the laughter and the tears, the good times and the bad. It was my pleasure to meet both Skye and Grant a few days ago and their devotion and commitment to one another is a privilege to see. It will serve them well as they stand together to face the challenges that life sends them."

"And now, for the vows."

Skye and Grant moved to face one another.

"Do you, Grant Ward, take Skye Tam to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day from this day forward, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do you part?"

"I do," Grant said, staring at Skye, wondering how he ever got so lucky to meet someone like her.

Loki tensed when he heard Skye was using her mother's last name instead of his for the ceremony, but he forced himself to school his expression into one of pleasantness.

"Do you, Skye Tam, take Grant Ward to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day from this day forward, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do you part?"

"I do," Skye said, her hands trembling as she held onto Grant's, her heart in her throat.

"And now, the rings," the pastor said kindly.

Fitz put his hand in his right pants pocket and his eyes widened when it was empty. "They're here somewhere," he said, his voice rising as he began to panic. "Somewhere," he repeated as he tried the second pants pocket and found it similarly empty. "Here, here," he said with grin as his fingers closed on them in his suit jacket and handed them over to Ward and Skye.

"Alright, Grant, repeat after me. With this ring, I thee wed," the pastor said solemnly.

"With this ring, I thee wed," Grant said earnestly slipping the ring on Skye's finger.

"And now, Skye," the pastor prompted.

"With this ring, I thee wed," Skye said, a grin engulfing her face.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride," the pastor said.

Grant lifted the veil and slowly bent down to kiss Skye.

"Woop, woop," Darcy said loudly. At the rest of the group's surprised look, she shrugged, "What? I love weddings."

As Grant and Skye held hands and looked out at the group, the pastor beamed. "It is my pleasure to present to you Mr. and Mrs. Grant and Skye Ward."

* * *

><p>Author's Notes-<p>

1. Next up, the reception!

2. Ch. 6 and 7 of **"Information"** - my post-CA:TWS story is up!

3. I just saw the season finale and oh, my! If you like to hash out fan theories, my PM box is always open!

4. If you are on tumblr, you can find me under my name, creativereadingfanfiction or through my link on my profile page.


	36. The Gift Ch 5

**Ch. 5 **

There was a reason that Ward and Skye didn't have a lot of people at their wedding. After moving around so much as a child, Skye had no real ties to any of her past foster families and she was sure that her Rising Tide pals would have balked at being invited to a wedding populated almost entirely by S.H.I.E.L.D. members.

Ward's relationship with his own immediate family was strained at best. He hadn't spoken to any of them in over five years. He had a maternal grandmother in a nursing home in Florida, but her ill health made it difficult for her to travel. He did his best to see her whenever he could, but his inability to be there for her more often was a constant source of guilt for him. She was a loving balm during his chaotic childhood, the only real stability and unconditional love he had ever known growing up.

His own mother, while not openly cruel, turned a blind eye to the rages of her husband, never protecting her children from his wrath, worried, perhaps that if she did, she would be the recipient of his harsh words and harsher blows. His anger permeated their entire family, completely poisoning Ward's older brother, turning him into a sick monster that Ward couldn't even bear to see.

Ward's brother surpassed his father in cruelty, reveling in it, indulging in it even when he was in a good mood, especially when he was in a good mood. He delighted in torment, in causing others anguish. His favorite target was their youngest brother and he loved to bully Ward into doing his dirty work.

It took Ward years to understand that his family dynamics were not the norm. For decades, he assumed all families screamed and threatened, keeping their dirty, twisted cruelty behind closed doors, always projecting a facade of happy domesticity. He remembered being shocked as a teenager, when he was visiting a friend's house and the parents got into an argument. He had tensed, waiting for the blast of anger, the throwing of plates and dishes, the awful accusations. But, it didn't happen. After a few moments, his friend's parents had resolved their differences and were even affectionate towards each other afterwards. There was no sulking, no manipulation, no escalation.

It was the first time that he realized that life could be different. It was the first time he had a sense of hope for the future. And it was the first time that he realized that he could be different. His friend's mother had apologized that they had been cross in front of them, but Ward never told her that seeing how healthy people can have a disagreement that didn't descend into abuse was the best gift she could have ever given him.

Being around Skye though, was a completely new experience. She was open and kind. Although she teased him constantly, it was out of affection, not malice. She didn't lie; she didn't manipulate; she didn't coerce. For the longest time, he was wary around her, sure that it was just a front, just another deception. He was actually glad when he found out about Miles, about her contacting the Rising Tide, as it confirmed his feelings that no one could be trusted. When he found out that she only deceived them to find her real family, his world shifted on its axis once again.

When she was on Asgard, every day was torture for Ward. He spent hours imagining the horrors she might be enduring, raged at himself for not being able to protect her. He felt as though the only good and pure element of his life had been taken.

When she returned, he didn't waste a second in claiming her as his own. Their rushed wedding was unorthodox, but he didn't really fight it. He wanted his name to follow hers; he wanted her life joined to his. Eternity wasn't long enough for them to be together.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's notes<strong>- Sorry, we'll have to get to the reception in the next chapter! This bit of backstory ran a bit long.

Ch. 27 of "The Captain's Bride" is up! Get some tissues!


	37. The Gift Ch 6

**Ch. 6 **

Given the small size of their group, there was no need to rent a big hall. Coulson had ended up finding a large back room of an upscale restaurant that was available for private parties. Skye had suggested just using an IPOD to serve as DJ, but Coulson decided to hire a local band.

Coulson knew he was going a bit overboard, but the truth of the matter was that at his age, he knew it was most likely his only opportunity to have a daughter get married. And while Loki might be her biological father, Coulson knew, better than anyone, that family ties were not dictated by blood, they were created by love. And in the short time Coulson had known Skye, he had developed a father's love for the young woman.

00000

Loki was silent during the majority of the meal. He was seated next to Thor at the end of the table. Agent May sat to his right, but spent the majority of the time facing away from him, talking to the two scientists on her team that were to her right. He had not desire to speak to Thor. At first, his adoptive brother peppered him with questions about Asgard, but at Loki's stony glare, he finally gave up and turned to speak with Jane.

Even given the small gathering, Loki hardly had a moment to talk with his daughter. He tried to curb his natural inclination to push in, to force attention on him. He reminded himself that this was Skye's day, that he had promised to not cause a scene.

Loki looked down at his plate. He supposed the food before him was adequate. It consisted of a small serving of overcooked dead cow and various roasted root vegetables. It was overly salted and would be considered peasants' food at best on Asgard. It was hardly fit for the wedding celebration of the crown princess of the realm. But, as Loki looked down the long table he was seated at, he seemed to be the only one not enthusiastically shoveling food in his face.

00000

Skye looked down the long table at Loki. He was looking dismissively at the entire group. She sighed. She knew that she shouldn't let his frosty demeanor put a damper on their big day. She knew that Grant hardly noticed. Given his chaotic upbringing, having a family member behave in haughty disregard for everyone else would be would be welcome change from screams and rage.

She nearly giggled as she saw Loki taste the dinner. He looked as though he were sucking on a lemon. She had to admit that little could compare to the exquisite food she'd eaten on Asgard, but she did feel he was behaving a bit like a petulant child with his dislike of everything being offered him evident on his face.

00000

"And now, we'll begin with the toasts," the lead singer of the band announced. She shifted uncomfortably after she made the announcement, not liking the role of master of ceremonies for the event. The band had done dozens of weddings, but this was the oddest by far. It was an incredibly tiny group, but the tension in the room was palpable. She was once at a wedding where the maid of honor slugged the bride, and that one still felt more relaxed than their present gig.

Coulson stood quickly. After the kerfluffle earlier with Loki, he wanted to claim his father of the bride duties as soon as possible. "It has been my genuine pleasure to get to know both Skye and Grant over the past few months. I am overjoyed to be a part of this celebration. Their love and devotion to one another has been an inspiration to us all. Please raise your glass as we toast the happy couple."

"Here, here," the rest of the group echoed, with even Loki taking part.

"Are there any other toasts?" the lead singer asked.

Loki popped up, glass in hand. He knew that Coulson had taken him unawares earlier, but he wasn't about to allow the man to best him.

"As Skye's father, I am, of course, more than pleased at this most joyous of occasions. Skye has proven to be an . . . unexpected blessing. Her compassion and caring for others is quite remarkable. I know that Grant will prove to be a loving and loyal husband," Loki said smoothly, although a hint of a threat lingered in the air.

"And now, for the first dance," the lead singer said quickly, trying to keep the party moving.

Grant took Skye by the hand and led her to the small makeshift dance floor while the group started to sing their song. He had to admit, if he had to choose a song for them, a Taylor Swift one certainly wouldn't have been his first pick, but since he was marrying an actual princess, he supposed that "Today was a Fairytale" was a good enough song to dance to. He nearly lost it when he heard the lyric about wearing a dark gray T-shirt. Skye had teased him mercilessly about his monochromatic wardrobe. The lines about magic being in the air and being transported to another planet were just icing on the cake.

00000

As Skye swayed to the music, secure in Grant's arms, she knew the meaning of bliss. She shut her eyes and for a moment, the universe narrowed down to the two of them, two hearts beating as one, two souls joined together forever. All their problems, doubts and fears just melted away when she felt him hold her.

Too soon, the music was over and the lead singer announced," And now for the father-daughter dance."

Skye stiffened. She had talked to Coulson when they found out that Loki had crashed the wedding and he agreed with her that it was probably best to just let Loki have the honor. Coulson had given in to the request, if only to keep the peace. Loki beamed as he walked towards Skye.

As she danced Michael Buble's "Daddy's Little Girl" with Loki, she let herself wonder how her life would have been different if Loki had taken her mother back with him to Asgard. What would her life have been like if she had grown up in the palace, having Thor as her uncle and Frigga and Odin as her grandparents? What would it had been like to have a somewhat normal life (as normal as growing up in a palace could be)? She shook her head to clear her thoughts. She could drive herself crazy thinking about what might have been.

As soon as the song ended, Skye let go of Loki's hand and rushed to the stage, whispering in the lead singer's ear. "Yeah, we know it," she told Skye.

The lead singer smiled at the group. "And now for the second father-daughter song."

Skye walked over to Coulson and led him to the dance floor as the first few notes of "To Sir With Love" were being played.

"Do you remember, when I said that you valued me? That you were the first person to do that in a long time?" Skye asked.

"I sure do," Coulson said, his voice thick with emotion.

"I want to thank you. Thank you for everything. For getting me on the Bus. For believing in me when no one else did. For saving me. For being the father that I needed. For the wedding. For putting up with Loki," Skye said, her voice wavering, tears welling in her eyes.

"Well, he hasn't killed anyone yet, so I'm going to count it as a win," Coulson deadpanned and Skye fought to keep from laughing out loud.

00000

"And now the groom," the singer announced halfway through the father-daughter song.

That had been a bit trickier to figure out. There really couldn't be a mother-son part of the dance. Since Grant had no family at the wedding, there was no one for him to dance with. Normally, Grant ignored the fact that he really didn't have a family in any normal sense of the word. But, something like a wedding, which was so tied to the idea of family and relatives, really brought home to Grant how isolated he really was, how abandoned he had been by the people who should have loved him most.

Given Coulson acting as Skye's father, May would have been the natural stand-in for Grant. However, given his past relationship with her, Grant was sure that it would be out of the question. He was surprised when one day, out of the blue, May had offered to take his mother's place for the dance.

"Are you sure?" he had asked dubiously, still careful how he approached her after the end of their frenzied affair.

"Ward, despite everything, I still care about you. Not like a mother," she had said with a sardonic grin, "but we're part of a team. You need someone to dance with. In the end, family is about more than just who you're related to."

"Thanks, I really appreciate it."

And so, May deftly took Grant's hand as he smoothly led her onto the dance floor. As he looked down at her, he was a bit wistful, a part of him uneasy that he had allowed the desire for momentarily passion to overrule his better judgment. Although they were friendly once again, there was still a distance between them. He wondered how close they would have become if there weren't the sad wreckage of an empty liaison between them. Perhaps, given time, even those wounds would heal.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes<strong>-

1. Over 350 reviews! You guys really make me want to cry. It is amazingly encouraging to know that what you are writing and posting is connecting with your readers. It really does spurn writers on to know that people liked what they wrote and are looking forward to more.

Please know that when you favorite, follow, or leave up-lifting, kind reviews for a story, you are, in a way, taking part in its creation. While some writers write an entire story before posting, many post as they go. When you encourage writers on this site, you are giving them an amazing gift and spurring them on to devote more time to creating more stories for you.

Once again, I want to thank you, dear readers for every single sweet, motivating review, follow and favorite. Your thoughtfulness has a direct effect on my writing and thank you seems like too small a word to repay you for your kindness.

2. I used a variation of one of my favorite Buffy quotes here, where Giles is accused of having "a father's love for the child". If you ever watched the series, there are a lot of fun parallels between the two relationships.

3. If you have a chance, give a listen to "To Sir, With Love" and think of Skye and Coulson. So sweet. And I wasn't kidding. Taylor Swift's song "Today was a Fairytale" does have a line in it about dark gray T-shirts, and if that doesn't make you think of Ward, you're lying.

4. There will be a bit more reception fun in the next chapter!


	38. The Gift Ch 7

**Ch. 7**

For the next hour after the first dance, most of the guests, save Thor and Loki, danced to every conceivable wedding song imaginable, including "I Will Survive" and "YMCA" as well as a mix of newer songs. Thor danced one or two slow songs with Jane, if only to feel his arms around her as they moved languidly to the music. Loki looked at the entire event in bemused exasperation. It's not like there weren't raucous celebrations on Asgard, but the contortions that the group went through during the faster songs hardly looked like anything even resembling dancing, seeming to mimic a mass seizure instead.

Once the dancing ceased, there was an announcement that the bouquet would be tossed. All of the female guests lined up and Darcy dove for the bouquet with a determination that shocked the rest of the women present. "Boo-yah!" she shouted as she held the flowers aloft.

At the group's shocked look, Darcy shrugged. "I play to win," she said with a cocky grin.

Next was the garter toss. After retrieving the item from under Skye's gown, amid the giggles and laughter of the group, as well as Skye's flushed face, Grant turned to the guests.

"Alright, you know the drill. All the eligible bachelors, line up," he said with a grin.

Fitz, Coulson and Thor stood side by side in the middle of the room.

Fitz cast a sideways glance at Simmons. He took a deep breath. He had known her for years now and the idea of anything romantic had, of course, crossed his mind from time to time. However, that passing thought had become more and more frequent lately. He blamed Skye and Ward. There was nothing worse than being around a blissfully happy couple to make you question your own single status.

Coulson felt silly standing up for the garter toss. After losing the possibility of being with his cellist in Portland, romance seemed to be yet another aspect of his life that he sacrificed to serve S.H.I.E.L.D. Not that it mattered. It was so difficult to find anyone outside of S.H.I.E.L.D. that understood the demands of the job. He had dated a fellow agent once, but it had gone pear-shaped and he valued her friendship too much to risk it again.

Thor shifted uncomfortably next to the two mortals. Jane had, thankfully, explained what the ritual entailed. It had seemed a bizarre thing to do, but he tried to keep an open mind. He knew that he could easily catch the garter, but he had mixed feelings. On the one hand, it seemed un-sportsmanlike to use his superior strength and agility to win the contest. On the other, given his relationship with Jane, it seemed disrespectful not to try his best to win the prize.

There was a collective gasp from the crowd when Loki stood and briskly walked over next to Fitz.

"Brother, I do not think . . .," Thor began.

Loki dismissed him with the wave of his hand. "He said all the eligible bachelors. I am unmarried," he said curtly to Thor.

"Proceed," Loki instructed Grant.

Grant shrugged and turned, lightly tossing the garter over his shoulder.

Loki smiled. He created a simple illusion, causing the rest of the men to scramble for an image of a garter that he conjured up while he easily plucked the real one from the air.

"That's not fair," Fitz protested angrily at the trick.

"I do not believe that the groom specified that magic could not be used," Loki smirked.

"It's still not fair," Fitz grumbled.

"Oh, whoever tried to convince you that life was fair? You have been greatly misled, my dear boy."

"Enough, brother," Thor warned testily.

The leader singer of the band gave the guests a nervous smile. This was the last time they were taking a gig for out-of-town folks. "Alright, now for the garter," she announced.

Loki gave the group a confused look. "But I already possess it."

Darcy walked up to him, dragging a chair behind her.

"So, you didn't know about catching the garter," she said with a grin.

Loki shrugged. "I wasn't about to allow that boorish buffoon win the prize."

"Alright," Darcy said, shaking her head. "Now, you have to put it on me and then we dance."

Loki drew back. "Whatever for?"

"Tradition states that you and I are the next to get hitched."

"Surely, you jest."

"I wish, buddy, and don't call me Shirley," Darcy said, fighting the urge to laugh as she sat in the chair.

"I feel you misunderstood me . . . ," Loki began, but Darcy waved him off.

"It's an old joke. Look, are you going to do it or are you going to let Thor win?" Darcy challenged, knowing that she was baiting him.

"Well, let it never be said that I passed up a chance to show up that oaf," Loki replied.

Darcy lifted her emerald dress until it rested right above her knee. Loki bent over, refusing to even entertain the thought of kneeling, and slowly slid the garter up her leg, his long fingers skimming her skin as he eased it up.

Once he touched her knee, Darcy abruptly dropped her dress and stood up, backing away from him slightly. "That's good enough. Any higher and you owe me dinner," she said sarcastically, the bravado in her words belying the bright blush that crept along her cheeks.

"A simple meal? Are your favors so easily won, my dear Darcy?" Loki said breathily, enjoying the flustered look on her face.

"No . . . look, I was just kidding," Darcy stammered, unused to being at a loss for words.

"And now, tradition dictates that we dance, does it not?" Loki asked.

"Yep," Darcy said, nodding at the lead singer. She hoped that it was going to be something fast.

At the first few strains of "At Last", Darcy rolled her eyes.

She lightly placed her hand on his shoulders and gasped slightly as he placed his on her waist.

"You seem a bit overwhelmed, my dear Darcy," Loki said, the smile evident in his voice as he smoothly maneuvered around the dance floor.

"Well, it's not every day that I dance with a warlord," she snapped, hoping to wipe the smug look off his face.

"A king, my dear. There is a difference," he corrected, grasping her a bit more tightly, delighting in the sharp intake of her breath.

Darcy looked down for a moment, not sure what to say.

"A most interesting song," Loki observed.

"Yeah, well, they play it a lot at weddings."

"Really?" he inquired.

"I guess, it doesn't matter how long it takes to find the right one, it always feels like it's been forever," Darcy said, not trusting herself to make eye contact.

Loki chuckled, "And what do you know of forever, mortal?"

"Oh, I forgot. I'm talking to the thousand year old man. Is this song too fast for you?" Darcy sniped, glaring up at him, tired of Loki's antics. "We could get you a chair and you could rest your weary old bones for the rest of the song."

"I assure you, my dear Darcy, I am quite fit," and although the words were innocuous, his tone was beyond suggestive.

Luckily for Darcy, the song soon ended.

00000

Jane grimaced when she saw Loki dancing with Darcy. She had mixed feelings about Thor's adopted brother. Although he did save her life more than once and he had proved to be a devoted father to Skye, Loki's many crimes still loomed large in Jane's mind. She was there when he sent the Destroyer to Puente Antiguo. She had seen news footage of the devastation in New York. The idea of him paying any attention to Darcy made her stomach turn. Poor Darcy would be completely out of her depths.

"Thor?"

"Yes, my love," he replied.

"You need to talk to Loki. I don't like the way he's behaving around Darcy."

Thor nodded solemnly. "It hadn't escaped my notice that he was paying her undue attention. I'll speak to him about it."

00000

Loki walked off the dance floor and picked up his flute of champagne from the table, downing its contents in one gulp.

"That was most unkind of you, brother," Thor said gruffly as he advanced on him.

Loki tensed. Yet another lecture from Thor. "Whatever do you mean?" Loki shot back.

"You should not have played with Lady Darcy's affections like that. I had not thought you that cruel."

"Oh, but aren't I? Aren't I the evil butcher? The ruthless dictator? I hardly think dallying with a mortal will be counted among the worst of my crimes," Loki spat back.

"Take care. You are here with the understanding that you will do no harm. Toying with that young lady's emotions will not be tolerated."

Loki clenched his fists. It was hardly worth starting a brawl over. "Very well. I shall leave the poor creature alone."

Thor nodded. "See that you do."

00000

After the eventful garter toss, there was yet another hour of dancing before the cutting of the cake. Grant was a gentleman, delicately placing the smallest morsel of cake in Skye's mouth. Skye couldn't resist the opportunity to decorate Grant's perfect nose with white buttercream frosting. The group laughed nervously, but Grant just chuckled, grabbing Skye and kissing her soundly, letting her enjoy the icing facial as well.

"Are you having fun?" Grant asked, laughing as he wiped away the frosting from her cheek.

"Best wedding ever," Skye replied, slipping her hand behind his neck to bring him closer for yet another kiss.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes-<strong>

1. 200 story followers! You all rock! Knowing that you are all patiently waiting for the next chapter makes want to write more and more!

2. A little glimpse of the honeymoon up next!


	39. The Gift Ch 8

**Ch. 8**

"A third of my life was over? That's what Loki told you? So, that's why you proposed on our second date," Grant said ruefully as he fiddled with his golden wedding band, still getting used to it. They'd been married for three days now and he constantly played with his ring.

"Well, he had a point," Skye said as she snuggled closer to him, wrapping her arms around him and giving him a kiss.

"Uggh. Let's not get into your father right now," Grant said, still irked that Loki had shown up at the wedding. They had made the best of it, but having him there had made the entire event tense and nerve-wracking. Grant was still surprised it hadn't ended with someone being sent to the hospital. Or the morgue.

"I can think of much better things to do," he said in a low voice as he let his hands wander underneath the sheets.

"No . . . no . . . no," giggled Skye, as she popped up from the bed and shrugged on a black satin robe. "Let's go down for breakfast."

"How about we order room service?" Grant asked, sitting up in bed and tugging on the sash of her robe. He gave her a rakish grin, cocking an eyebrow.

"No," Skye said, pulling the sash from his hand and going over to her suitcase to get out a pair of shorts and a tank top. "No more room service. We've been in this room for forty-eight hours straight. We've missed the scuba diving lessons yesterday and the snorkeling boat tour the day before. I want to go hiking in the rainforest today, like we'd planned. What's the use of flying all the way to Maui for our honeymoon if we never leave our hotel room?" she teased.

"You seemed to be enjoying yourself," Grant countered testily.

"So have you," Skye grinned. "But c'mon. It's my first time in Maui. I want to explore, actually see a little bit of the island," she declared.

Grant tamped down the brief surge of white hot anger that he felt, reminding himself that it wasn't personal, that she wasn't rejecting him. He still struggled with the Berserker rage every single day, still felt its pull, still heard its low, seductive thrum in his brain. He did his best to hide it from Skye, but in moments like these, when he felt her push him away, even though he knew intellectually he was being absurd, all the pain and insecurity of his past would come roaring back and he had to struggle not to lash out.

He told himself that it was natural that she'd want to see some more of the island. Grant had traveled the world several times over doing undercover work for S.H.I.E.L.D. One locale seemed pretty much like the rest to him. But for Skye, growing up bounced from house to house in the foster system, going someplace like Maui was a real treat. He remembered how excited she had been to go to Italy. Of course, that was before.

_Before you let her get shot_, Grant thought, wincing. _Before you failed her. When you couldn't protect her. When you weren't there for her. When she almost died._

The image of Skye, pale and lifeless in a hospital bed, flashed in his mind and he shuddered.

"Hey, are you okay?" Skye asked as she got dressed, her voice full of concern.

Grant nodded, giving Skye a grin he didn't feel. As a undercover agent, he'd learned to be convincing when he needed to be. There were doubts he still keep hidden from her, places far too dark to let her in.

"So, do you want to go down for breakfast?" Skye asked hopefully.

"Yes, of course," Grant lied as he got out of bed.

000000

Grant had to admit it, the rainforest was beautiful. They had held hands as they had trekked along the trail, eating macadamia nuts and banana bread they had bought at a roadside stand. Everything was a beautiful adventure to Skye and Grant couldn't help being enthralled by how excited she was about every single thing she saw. They hiked along a small creek as Skye kept Grant amused with tales of camping trips with various foster families.

Grant had never gone hiking or camping with his family. The pressure cooker of emotions wouldn't have survived an outdoor trek, he was sure of it. They had taken vacations, like other families, but they just seemed to be more opportunities for arguments, the missed flights, the rental cars that failed to start, the cancelled hotel reservations.

Grant's experience with the outdoors began and ended with S.H.I.E.L.D. Like all operatives in the Academy, he'd learned basic survival skills. He knew which plants were poisonous and which ones were edible. He knew the best way to find fresh water and how to construct a temporary shelter.

But, as he looked over at Skye, all that training seemed to melt away. He didn't need to scan the forest for threats or mentally assess any risks. All he needed to do was to focus on the woman beside him, his new wife, the most beautiful person he had ever known.

00000

They returned to the hotel room and got ready to go out to dinner that night.

"So, how do I look?" Skye asked, spinning around in her short, hot pink dress.

Grant swallowed. It was the same dress she had worn the first day she had met Quinn. She probably didn't even think about it, but Grant tensed when he saw her in it.

"Beautiful. You always look beautiful," he said, taking her in his arms, hoping she didn't notice his sharp intake of breath.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes<strong>- Yes, there's a bit of trouble in paradise. Also, this story is K+ rated, so that's why that first scene in the hotel room was a bit vague.

For you FitzSimmons fans, I've just uploaded the first chapter of a story **"FitzSimmons: The Academy Years".** I'm debating keeping it a one-shot or writing out all four years. Please check it out and let me know what think!


	40. The Gift Ch 9

**Ch. 9**

Another night. Another hotel room in a nameless city. Grant flopped wearily into his bed, exhausted beyond all reason. He and May had spent the last three months on and off, crisscrossing the globe, gathering up materials and supplies to help with FitzSimmons and Foster's Bifrost project.

Grant's heart just wasn't in it. He woodenly went through the motions, but he was no longer pushing himself to the limit to try to complete the project. Before, both he and May nearly killed themselves trying to get everything the scientists needed in an effort to save Skye.

And now . . . .

And now, if Grant were honest with himself, the last thing he wanted was for their project to succeed. Intellectually, he knew it was a good idea that they possess the means to travel to Asgard themselves, that they didn't rely on Loki.

But, a part of him, a part of him he didn't want to admit existed, secretly hoped their project would fail.

Because a part of him was scared, terrified even, that given the choice, Skye would choose to live on Asgard.

Without him.

He knew he was being foolish. He knew that he was letting his deep-seated insecurity rule his rational thoughts. After all, she had been the one to push to get married so soon. She had been more than eager to pledge to spend the rest of her life with him.

But . . . .

But, Grant knew, so had his mother. And hadn't she regretted that decision again and again?

Maybe Skye would regret hers.

Grant shook his head to clear his mind. For some reason, these thoughts always began to prey on him when he was tired, not thinking clearly.

He took out his phone and checked the time. He quickly did the mental calculations to figure out what time it was were Skye and the rest of the team were staying and texted her.

-Facetime?

A moment later, he got a reply.

-Definitely ; )

000000

Skye smiled at her phone when she saw that the text was from Grant. She hated that he was always on one mission or another. They'd only been together three weeks during their first three months of marriage. Every moment together was precious, but then, all too soon, Foster and FitzSimmons sent Grant and May out on another assignment to collect one item or another for their Bifrost project.

She had been glad to spend time with Thor, though. It was nice to hear about Asgard and the past that he shared with Loki through his eyes. It was evident that he still loved his adoptive brother very much and Skye enjoyed getting to know another side of Loki. A younger, somewhat more innocent, definitely less jaded side. It reminded her of the stories that Fandral told her during her time on Asgard.

Sometimes, she still missed Asgard, but she didn't dare mention it in front of Grant. She had commented on adding sugar to her juice because it reminded her of Asgardian berries and Grant had been huffy and short with her the entire day. He hated her referring at all to her time at Asgard. She assumed it was because he had been so worried about her while she was gone, but he wouldn't open up to her and talked about it.  
>As she waited for the phone to connect to see Grant, she winced when she thought of the last time they saw each other. It had ended in a huge argument.<p>

000000

_"Good news, hubby," Skye said as she put her arms around Grant's waist. "I'm going on your next assignment."_

_"What?" Grant asked sharply as he stiffened and pulled away from her._

_"AC gave me clearance to go on your next gig. No more time apart. Given what I can do," Skye manifested a wisp of smoke in front of them, "he thinks I can help with the mission."_

_"You went behind my back?" Grant asked, the anger coming off of him in waves._

_"Not behind your back. Coulson's my C.O. I had to clear it with him first."_

_"And I'm your husband. Or have you forgotten that? You didn't think to ask me first?" Grant snarled._

_"Ask you? Look, you're my husband, but I don't have to ask your permission to go on a mission," Skye said emphatically._

_"So you and Coulson, what, just gang up on me? I can't believe you didn't even think to talk to me first," he spat out._

_"Why are you so angry?" Skye retorted._

_"You nearly died, Skye, on the last mission you went on. You were ill-prepared, still too green and way too impetuous. You put your life at risk. I had to see you lying in that hospital for days, not knowing if you'd ever wake up. I can't believe you're going to rush out and put me, put all of us through that again," Grant said, pain dripping from every word._

_"I didn't think of it that way," Skye said slowly._

_Grant took a deep breath, visibly forcing himself to calm down. "Look, we'll go out on assignments together. We will. I promise. But not now. Not until you've had more training," he gave her a smile as he walked towards her and took her in his arms. "I've got an idea. While I'm gone, why don't you train with your uncle? The better you are at protecting yourself, the more comfortable I'll be having you on a mission with me.'_

_Skye nodded, but she didn't like giving up on the assignment one bit._

00000

Skye grimaced when Grant's exhausted face popped up on the screen.

"Oh, honey, you look so tired," she began.

Grant gave her a wan smile. "You should see the other guy."

She couldn't help but giggle. She was sure he had left a pile of groaning security guards in his wake. "So, how'd it go?"

"Got the iridium. Just need the other four hundred items on the grocery list," he said dryly.

"Oh, baby. I wish I was there," she said.

"I miss you too, babe," he sighed. "How are things going on your end?"

"Good. Leo, Jemma, and Jane seem really excited," Skye said. Since have FitzSimmons in their wedding, Skye made sure that she called them by their first names. And Jane had insisted that since she was practically Skye's aunt that "Dr. Foster" was way too formal.

"Great," Grant said, faking an enthusiasm he didn't feel. "Any news about how much longer it might take?"

"Four, five more months, maybe? Without the Tesseract, it's slow going, at least that's how they explained it to me."

"And, have you made any progress?" Grant asked delicately.

Skye sighed. Ever since she left Asgard, her powers seemed to have stalled, no matter how much she practiced. She could still summon a great fog illusion with very little effort, but she couldn't form it into anything else like Loki could. She often wondered how much her powers would have advanced if she had stayed on Asgard, if she had learned more from Loki. But, she had made her choice and that was that.

"No progress on that front. Unfortunately," she said with a shrug.

"Sorry, babe. I know how much you've been working on it."

"It's okay. I've got some good news. Great, actually."

Grant smiled. "I could use some great news."

"It worked. The last time you were here," she said coyly. "Our little side project."

"Are you saying what I think you're saying?" he asked eagerly, his face lighting up, his weariness forgotten.

"Yep, we're pregnant."


	41. The Gift Ch 10

**Ch. 10**

A few months later, Skye and Grant stood in front of everyone assembled in the lounge of the Bus with a big smile on their faces.

"We've got a big announcement for you all," Skye said, grinning.

Grant couldn't help but beam. Skye was three months along and everything seemed to be going perfectly. He had been a bit taken aback when Skye had suggested starting a family right away, but he had eagerly agreed. _She'll have to stay if there's a baby. Nothing will ever separate us now_, a part of him had murmured, but Grant did his best to ignore the thought.

"We're pregnant," Grant said to the delight of the assembled group.

Leo took his wallet out of his back pocket, fished out a twenty and crossed the room to Darcy, placing it in her hands.

Coulson cocked an eyebrow and Darcy smirked. "C'mon. Skye stopped joining in on Margarita Mondays, she won't drink coffee anymore and she gets 'motion sickness' at least once a week. It doesn't take an astrophysicist to figure it out."

At that, Jane huffed and fished a twenty out of her purse, walking it over to Darcy.

"How are you feeling?" Jane asked.

"Fine. Poor Jemma got stuck being my ob/gyn and she says it's all going well," Skye confessed.

Jemma blushed. "Sorry for all the secrecy. Doctor/patient confidentiality."

"Do you have any practical experience as an ob/gyn?" May asked, arms crossed.

"Well, no. I mean I've memorized all the relevant literature. But, no. No practical experience," Jemma confessed.

"Then, why . . . ?" Coulson began.

"Given the unusual nature of Skye's biology, we thought it best that we deal with this . . . in-house," Jemma said delicately.

"After what happened to my mother . . . .," Skye trailed off and looked at Thor.

"Very few human women would be able to survive giving birth to a half-Jotun child. While there is enough genetic similarities, the size differences alone . . . .," Thor trailed off.

"But Loki seems normal-sized," Darcy remarked.

"Jotun babies, even smaller ones, would be easily twenty or twenty-five pounds," Thor explained.

Collectively, the women of the group gasped.

"So, I take it that's a big baby," Leo said.

"The size difference would be horrific. Think of a Chihuahua mother and a Great Dane daddy," Darcy snarked.

"Darcy!" Jane said sharply.

"Sorry, sorry," she said, wincing. "I wasn't thinking. Sometimes my mouth isn't connected to my brain."

"Anyhow, my concern is that even though Skye is only half-human and the baby is only a quarter-Jotun, there could be future issues," Jemma explained.

"Issues? Skye, you said that everything was okay," Grant said, tensing beside her.

"I didn't want to worry you," Skye said.

"At the moment, everything is fine. However, the baby's growth is quite accelerated," Jemma said.

"What does that mean?" Coulson asked, concern etched on his face.

"I don't know how much I can do here. Especially since I have no idea what is normal for a half-Jotun mother. They should both be alright, but I don't want to risk Skye's life and the life of her baby on an educated guess. And, given S.H.I.E.L.D.'s tumultous past with Loki, I'm reluctant to have any of our scientists look at her," Jemma said.

"What are you saying?" May said curtly, although she already had a pretty good idea where this was going.

"Since we don't have the means to safely ensure Skye's health and the health of the baby here, we have only one more option available to us," Jemma said.

"Asgard. You want to take her back to Asgard," Coulson said, his heart dropping.


	42. The Gift Ch 11

**Ch. 11**

"Absolutely not," Grant said firmly, his arms crossed. "It's not even open to debate."

"The risks are too great to have her stay here," Jemma explained.

"No. Skye is not going back there," Grant repeated.

"The medical care that Skye will receive on Asgard far surpasses that which is available here on Earth. If you truly love her, if you truly want to bring your child into the world, this is the only way," Thor insisted gently.

Grant turned to Skye, fighting with every ounce of his being to keep his anger in check. "Once again, you're going behind my back, ganging up on me," he said sharply.

"No, Grant . . . Jemma and I just realized it a few days ago. We talked to Thor and he told us that Asgard would be our only choice. I didn't . . . . I didn't know how to tell you. I know how much you hate me talking about Asgard," Skye confessed.

"Don't turn this back around on me," Grant snapped. "You could have come to me in private. You're my wife."

"Well, considering your reaction, it seems as though she made the right decision," May observed cooly.

"Don't butt in on this, May," Grant bit out. "This is between me and my wife."

"Actually, it concerns all of us. Skye is a part of our team. We risked everything to save her. We're not going to abandon her now," Colson said.

"With all due respect, sir . . .," Grant began.

"Why do people always say that right before they are going to be disrespectful? I'd seriously reconsider the end of your sentence, if I were you, Ward. I am still your C.O.," Coulson said.

"And Skye is my niece. I will not allow any harm to befall her," Thor said in a booming voice.

"And how much was your protection worth when she was stuck on Asgard for a month?" Grant bit out.

"I chose to go there," Skye said.

"And now, you're choosing to go back," Grant said bitterly.

"Not to be the pragmatist here, but how is Skye even supposed to get back there? Our Bifrost device is still months away from being finished and the last person I'd want to test it out on is a pregnant lady. No offense, Skye," Leo said.

Grant's eyes widened. "Loki . . . you're going to ask Loki."

Skye sighed. "I'm pretty sure he'd let me come back.'

Grant stiffened. "There's no way you're going back to Asgard without me."

"Well . . . yeah. That was the idea. I wasn't going to go alone," Skye said, giving him a look as though he were a small child.

Grant felt the tension melt from his body. "Oh . . . . okay, then."

"I'm not entirely comfortable just the two of you going alone. The last time we lost a team member we didn't know when, or if, you'd return, Skye," Coulson said.

"Are you saying that you want to come with us?" Skye asked.

"As much as I would love to live my life without ever setting eyes on Loki again, yes, I want to come with you," Coulson said.

"If he's going, I'm going," May said.

"I don't . . . .," Skye said.

"No arguments."

Skye shrugged. "I suppose we could ask . . ."

"I should accompany you, too. I am the only one that is stronger than Loki and I need to see how Asgard is faring under my brother's rule," Thor intoned gravely.

"I guess. . . . " Skye began.

"And I should come along, too. Travelling via the Bifrost again will give us an immeasurable amount of data to help us develop our own device," Jane said, eagerly.

"And as Skye's primary physician, I can assist the doctors on Asgard in her care," Jemma said, her excitement bubbling over.

"If Simmons is going, I'm going. And . . . you know, science," Leo said quickly.

All eyes went to Darcy. "You are all crazy if you think that you're gonna leave me here, alone, on this Bus. I'm going with you to Asgard. I'm not even going to bother to make up a fake excuse like half of you did."

"So, we're going to ask Loki to take all of us back to Asgard?" Skye asked hesitantly.

"Looks like," Grant said, secretly pleased that the entire team was coming with them. It would be a lot easier to convince Skye to return with everyone else there to help plead his case.

"Okay, let's go contact Heimdall," Skye said with a smile.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note-<strong> C'mon . . . . you know you secretly all wanted the entire AOS team on Asgard. What fun we're going to have!


	43. The Gift Ch 12

**Ch. 12 **

Loki was sitting with his advisors, discussing yet another fractious dispute in an outer province when a guard came with a missive from Heimdall. His presence was requested at the Observatory.

Loki rolled his eyes. He and Heimdall always seemed to be engaging in the same, tiresome power play. Heimdall was loyal to Asgard and by extension, to Loki as the rightful king.

However, Heimdall had still never quite forgiven Loki for freezing him when he let the Jotuns into Asgard. As such, Heimdall often followed the letter of the law, but not the spirit.

He was to inform Loki of any events pertaining to his daughter, Skye. And Heimdall would. He would dutifully send a messenger to Loki with a letter stating that Loki should come to the Observatory at once for urgent news. Which meant that Loki had to arrange for a horse or skiff to take him all the way out to the Observatory to hear news that Heimdall could have just included in his original message.

Loki looked tiredly at his advisors, trying desperately to suppress a sigh. The thing no one had warned him was that once you had power, you had to spend all of your time trying to keep it. At the moment, there were at least two different factions gaining traction within the realm. One wanted Thor to return and take his place as the rightful king. Another, headed by a distant cousin, wanted to claim the throne for himself, proposing that Loki, as a Frost Giant, wasn't a true heir to the throne, despite being the adopted son of Frigga and Odin.

At the moment, both factions contented themselves with mere talk, blustering and bragging about their supposed claims to the throne. The only incident of note was the attack on Skye, months ago, and Loki had interrogated the brigands himself and concluded that they were more criminals than revolutionaries. Yet still, Loki was growing concerned. Asgard had always existed under a monarchy and that monarchy had never been seriously challenged. At least not from within.

Loki was no fool. He had studied other realms and Midgard's bloody history of civil wars chilled him to the bone. It was one thing to launch an attack against Jotunheim or Svartalfheim, it was quite another to have Asgardians take up arms against one another.

In all his striving for a throne, to be king, Loki had never thought he'd have to deal with this kind of contention. He had mentally prepared himself for resistance on Midgard when he led the Chitauri invasion there. They had never had their entire realm ruled by one person before and there was bound to be some opposition. But once he had ushered Odin off into Odinsleep months ago, he had assumed that all his problems on Asgard were over.

In fact, they seemed to be just beginning.

"Your Majesty," the messenger prompted, anxiety coming off him in waves.

"Oh, yes, tell Heimdall I'll be there momentarily," Loki informed him. Loki turned back to his advisors. "Unfortunately, I am urgently needed at the Observatory. We will need to resume these matters when I return."

His advisors nodded and Loki couldn't help but feel a surge of disgust towards them. They had turned out to be a group of obsequious toadies who curried favor like courtiers. There was never an original thought among them and they never opposed him. It was like living in an echo chamber. At first, Loki had reveled in their blind obedience, but of late, he had grown weary of their constant mealy-mouthed timidness.

Loki rose and strode out of his council room towards the stables. He allowed himself the briefest of grins when he arrived at the stall that held Sleipnir. He remembered when he first saw Odin with the eight-legged mount and how jealous he had been. And now, his horse was Loki's.

00000

"What news, Heimdall?" Loki asked brusquely as he arrived at The Observatory and dismounted. He had been relieved to leave the council chambers, but Heimdall's high-handed ways still irked him.

"Your daughter, Skye, is expecting a baby," Heimdall informed him. "You will be a grandfather."

A grandfather? Loki was barely over a thousand years old. He was still adjusting to the idea of being a father, much less a grandfather.

"Are you quite sure?" Loki asked curtly.

"Yes," Heimdall answered. "She has requested passage to Asgard until the birth of her child."

It made sense. Given her mother's likely problems, it wouldn't surprise Loki that Skye would be wary of giving birth on Midgard. "That is splendid news," Loki said, eager to spend more time with his daughter. It bothered him that she had seen more of Thor than she had of Loki.

"She would, of course, request that her husband come along."

Loki shrugged his shoulders. Grant Ward had seemed a decent fellow and there could be no denying that he loved Skye dearly. "Of course."

"Along with the rest of her companions," Heimdall added.

"All of them?" Loki asked.

"Yes, . . . Your Majesty," Heimdall replied.

Loki narrowed his eyes at the purposeful pause, but decided not to chastise him for his lack of respect. He sighed. All of them. Running around Asgard. Causing chaos. Disrupting the order what Loki had finally started to bring to the realm.

His first instinct was to say no, but he thought for a moment. With their scientists on Asgard, they would be unable to progress much in their attempt to create Bifrost portal from Midgard. They could be easily distracted by all of the scientific advances of the realm and would most likely completely forget about their little experiment. And, perhaps, Loki could find a way to use Thor's presence on Asgard to settle the contentious troublemakers in the realm.

His mind flashed to beguiling curves encased in an emerald dress. His colors. On her. He smiled. There were other benefits to having them visit the realm as well. He always knew how to manipulate circumstances so that he would come out on top. Having his daughter and her friends on Asgard would be no exception.

"Tell my daughter that I would be more than happy to host her and her companions on Asgard," Loki instructed Heimdall.

Heimdall blinked, which for Heimdall was a big reaction. "As you wish, Your Majesty."

Loki nodded. _Yes, this is going to work out just fine, _he thought.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's note<strong>- You know Loki. Always working an angle.


	44. The Gift Ch 13

**Ch. 13**

The team's arrival on Asgard was a bit inauspicious. Thor, Jane, Coulson and Skye knew what to expect and had braced themselves for the roller coaster type ride via the Yggdrasil. Jemma had listened to Skye's warning and had wisely taken some ginger tablets before embarking on the trip to counteract any ill effects. Both May and Grant expertly masked the woozy feeling that nearly overwhelmed them, knowing the best way to conceal weakness in front of a potential foe.

Darcy and Leo, however, vomited in the Observatory.

"Kill me now. Just let me die," Darcy said while on all fours depositing the contents of her lunch to one side of the gleaming room.

Leo groaned next to her. "Why did I ever listen to you? Beer and sausages before an intergalactic trip? I hate you," he said weakly to Darcy as he joined her in emptying his stomach onto the shining tiles.

"My, it seems as though you aren't a hearty bunch at all," Loki drawled at the group, not bothering to hide his amusement. "I've ordered a few skiffs to take you all to the palace. Skye, the healers are waiting to examine you. Perhaps you can take your friends there also to receive the medical attention they seem to need."

Skye nodded. "It's good to see you."

Loki walked up to Skye, beaming and holding his arms out. He enveloped her in a tender hug. "I am so happy for you. For both of you," he said, turning to Grant.

Grant gave him a curt nod, not trusting himself to speak.

"Brother, we need to talk," Thor said urgently.

"And we will. However, I feel that the health of your niece and her friends is the most pressing matter at the moment, don't you agree?" Loki countered smoothly.

Thor shrugged. "I suppose it is."

"Excellent. For the rest of you, you'll be shown your quarters for the rest of your stay and then perhaps we reconvene at the evening meal to get better acquainted."

Darcy and Leo staggered to Skye's skiff with the help of Jemma and May. Grant followed behind, not wanting to to let Skye out of his sight for a second.

"We came here because we care about your daughter. She is part of our family. I trust that you will do everything in your power to make sure she receives the best care," Coulson said, staring up at Loki, his voice tightly controlled.

"It seems that for once, our goals are aligned. Skye's health and the health of her child are of the utmost importance to me," Loki replied.

Coulson gave a short nod and walked out of the Observatory.

"You don't trust him, do you?" May asked Coulson, once she had helped Darcy onto the transport.

"Not one bit. He'll betray us the second it's in his best interest." Coulson sighed. "However, he has shown that he cares for Skye. We'll have to hope that's enough."

"You're putting a lot of trust in the power of fatherly affection," May observed as she and Coulson boarded the second skiff.

Coulson looked over at the other skiff with Grant, Darcy, Jemma, Leo, and Skye on it. He looked back at May. "Believe me, I know the power of a father's love."

"They're not your kids," May said dryly.

"So you keep pointing out," Coulson said, a smile tugging at his lips.

000000

"I thought we might ride," Loki suggested as he, Jane, and Thor exited the Observatory together.

Thor smiled when he saw his trusty mount. "You've taken good care of him," Thor observed as he rubbed the horse's side and the horse softly knickered in response.

"Of course," Loki replied.

"And you're riding Sleipnir?" Thor said, inclining his head to his father's horse.

"Well, I wouldn't want him to waste away in the stables."

Thor nodded, turning to Jane. "Will you be alright?"

Jane smiled. "I'm not one for horses," she said, wrinkling her nose. "I'll see you at the palace." And with that, she boarded Darcy's skiff.

00000

"I'm glad that you've arrived," Loki said smoothly once they began to ride.

"Really, brother? Is that why you've thwarted every effort to have me visit my realm?"

"It's no longer your realm. You abdicated the throne. And your presence here before would have been detrimental to Asgard."

"Detrimental to Asgard?"

"Civil war, Thor," Loki spat out. "It's not just something that happens on Midgard."

"Civil war?" Thor asked, rearing his head back in astonishment. In all of Asgard's history, there had never been any type of internal strife that massive.

"Yes, it seems your little rebellion against Odin to save your precious Jane has sown discord in the realm. Now there are factions at each other's throats for the throne. They are following your example of insolence and disobedience to the crown."

"I did what I had to do. Father was maddened by grief and sorrow. He wasn't thinking straight. He would have let Asgard burn in his desire to destroy Malekith," Thor said.

"Even so. Your defiance of Odin, your traitorous actions have incited chaos in this realm. It's all I can do to keep the peace."

"What are you saying, Loki?" Thor asked sharply.

"What I'm saying, brother," Loki snarled the last word, "is that if you attempt to wrest control of Asgard from me, you will plunge this realm into a horrific, bloody war that it will never recover from. Am I making myself perfectly clear?"

"Absolutely," Thor said, watching his brother through narrowed eyes. "You are being very clear."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note<strong>- Over 400 reviews! You all just blow me away with your kindness! Thank you so very much. I've been writing this story for over four months and believe me when I tell you that at times, your encouragement is the only thing that keeps me going forward. Thank you truly from the bottom of my heart!


	45. The Gift Ch 14

**Ch. 14**

Darcy and Leo entered the healing rooms flanked by Jane and Jemma. Skye walked in, arm and arm with Grant. She had pointed out the different rooms that they had passed on their way to the healers and she could feel the tension mounting as they went along. "You must really miss this place. I mean, look at it. It's a palace," Grant said, bitterness leaking into every word.

"I mean, I'd be lying if I didn't admit I missed it a little," she said and she could feel Grant pull away from her a bit more. "Look, it's nice and all, but it's just stuff. Just things. I love you. I want to be with you."

Grant took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm. "I know. I know. I love you, too."

"Well, who do we have here?" came a smooth voice from behind them.

Grant turned and his eyes narrowed as a handsome man in a goatee walked towards them, beaming at them. He was wearing some sort of light armor complete with a cape. _A cape? Really?_ Grant thought, his fists clenching, _How pretentious can you get?_

"My dear Skye, I've missed you most ardently," the man said, catching Skye's hand and bending low to kiss it.

Grant tensed beside her and Skye placed a steadying hand on him.

"Fandral, I'd like to introduce you to my husband, Grant," Skye said pointedly.

"Husband?" Fandral asked, a note of disappointment in his voice. "I had heard that you were wed. Loki had us feast for days in celebration."

Skye smiled at that. She didn't think her father would have cared that much, especially considering how difficult he'd been at the ceremony and reception.

"Fandral, at your service," Fandral said, bowing low to Grant. "So, it seems that you have married yourself a princess."

Grant tightened his grip around Skye and stared daggers at the taller man. "I loved her long before I knew who her father was."

Fandral cocked his head to the side and looked like he was about to say something when he just gave them both a small smile. "What brings you both to Asgard?"

"Skye's having our baby," Grant bit out.

Fandral beamed at them both. "Congratulations! What a joyous occasion!"

With that, Grant eased his grip on Skye, feeling a bit more calm about the situation.

"So, why are you in the healing rooms?" Skye asked.

"There have been a few skirmishes in the outer provinces. We'll be going back out in a day or two and I'll need to recruit a healer to come with us," Fandral said.

"Skirmishes?" Grant asked.

"Nothing to worry about," Fandral said quickly. "And your friends?" he asked, waving to Leo and Darcy on the examination tables with Jemma and Jane beside them.

"The ride via the Bifrost was a little rough on them," Skye said. "Let me introduce you."

Fandral followed Skye and Grant over to the tables. First, they walked over to Leo's table. He was already sitting upright and talking animatedly with Jemma about the medical treatment he had received.

"I'm telling you, it was something centuries beyond what we've got. Instant regeneration of cells," he said animatedly.

"This is Leo Fitz. Fitz, this is Fandral. He's one of Thor's friends," Skye said.

Leo gave Fandral a quick smile. "Well, any friend of Thor's . . . ."

"I'm delighted to meet your acquaintance," Fandral said. "And who is this vision of loveliness that I behold?" he asked, staring at Jemma.

Jemma did a quick look behind her and then asked, "Who, me?" placing a hand on her chest.

"That's Jemma Simmons," Skye said, not bothering to hide her smirk.

"My dear lady, it is an honor," Fandral said, bowing low and kissing Jemma's hand.

"Oh, my," Jemma said, wide-eyed.

"I'd wash that hand if I were you," Leo said snidely. "Germs, you know. Can't be too careful. The mutations in various viruses alone could kill you in less than twenty-four hours. Remember what happened with that Chitauri illness? Nearly did you in."

"Fitz," Jemma said sharply. "Don't be rude. We're guests here." She turned back to Fandral, "Sorry about that."

"It is already forgotten," Fandral said with a wink.

Next, they went to Darcy's table. "My Lady Jane, it is so good to see you again," Fandral said heartily, bowing and kissing her hand.

"Hi, Fandral," Jane said. "I never got a chance to thank you before. For helping us escape."

"It was my pleasure. And who is your friend here?" he waved at Darcy who was sitting up, smiling expectantly at Fandral.

Her face fell. "Dude, you've got to be kidding me. It was only like three years ago. You already forgot?"

"Three years ago?" Fandral asked, his face a mask of confusion. "Oh, Midgard. Right . . . Dana? Delilah? Daisy? Darlene?"

She shook her head, a disgusted look on her face. "Darcy," she said.

"Oh, yes . . . Darcy. Such a beautiful name for such a beautiful lady. It is so wonderful to see you once again. I hope we will be able to rekindle our . . . . acquaintance," he said as he kissed her hand, his tone low and seductive.

Darcy snatched her hand away. "Yeah, I don't think that's gonna happen. I've got other fish to fry. Plus, I already heard you drooling over one of the science twins, so I've got a pretty good idea about how selective you are with your 'acquaintances'." She hopped off the table. "Jane, let's go find our rooms. I can't wait to see what a real palace looks like."

Jane nodded. "Sounds good." She gave an apologetic look towards Fandral. "We'll catch up later."

00000

Ten minutes later, it was just Grant and Skye in the main healing room. Skye was on the soulforge. The healers had run an initial examination and were in another room to discuss the results among themselves.

"So that was Fandral?" Grant asked.

"Yes," Skye said tentatively. "You're not jealous, are you?"

Grant began to chuckle. "Not in the least. Did you see what a fool he made of himself? And how Darcy put him in his place? I can see why you like her so much."

Skye gave a sigh of relief. "Yeah, she's great."

The head healer came in the room, a concerned look on her face. "Your Highness, it was wise of you to come. The rate of growth of the baby is quite accelerated. On Midgard, the outcome would be . . . disastrous. We will be able to to slow down the child's growth during the rest of your pregnancy and you should be able to deliver the baby without complications."

"Oh, thank you," Skye said, the tension easing out of her body.

"So, that means we need to stay here for another six months?" Grant asked.

"Yes. It's the only way to ensure that both Skye and the baby will be healthy," the healer explained.

Grant nodded, squeezing Skye's hand. "Then, we'll stay."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note-<strong> So, dear readers, I'm at a bit of crossroads at the moment with this story. I have two options.

On one hand, I have twenty more chapters outlined for this story.

On the other, I can simply condense everything, fast forward the story six months and just write two more chapters wrapping the story up.

If there is enough reader interest, I'll write the longer version (at least 20,000 more words). If not, I might just write another 3,000 words or so and call it a day.

Let me know what you think!


	46. The Gift Ch 15

**Ch. 15**

Once everyone on the team had a chance to visit the rooms that they had been assigned to and had freshened up, they followed Fandral to the formal dining room for dinner. He ushered everyone inside and then bowed shortly to them before leaving.

"Aren't you staying?" Jemma asked wistfully.

"I am afraid not, my dear Jemma. I was merely instructed to collect you all and usher to the grand hall. Let's just say . . . I'm not in the king's favor at the moment. We do not dine together."

"Oh," said Jemma, clearly crestfallen.

"Do not fret, my dear. We will have many more opportunities together. I'll make sure of that," he said rakishly, bowing low as he kissed her hand. Leo squinted at them together from across the room, but said nothing, muttering under his breath instead.

Fandral turned to leave when he spotted Thor entering the dining room. He beamed when he saw his old friend. "Thor! It is so good to see you," he said, hugging him tightly. As he drew Thor in, he leaned in to whisper in his ear. "There is much I need to tell you. Seek me out after you have eaten."

Thor nodded his understanding and clapped his friend on his back. "I've missed you, too, old friend," he said heartily.

Once Fandral had left, they all stood around the long table and before long, Loki appeared, coming in through a side entrance. "I am sorry if you had to wait. I had an urgent meeting with an advisor. Please, sit."

Loki took his position at the head of the table. Thor sat to his right, wanting the opportunity to speak further with his brother. Loki had been vague when Thor had pressed for details about the current state of Asgard, promising his brother that he would show him around the realm. The rest of the long table filled up with Jane at Thor's right and then the rest of Coulson's team. The only spot still vacant was at Loki's left.

"It seems that we are missing someone," Loki observed.

Then, all of a sudden, Darcy rushed into the room, nearly stumbling, wearing a green and gold Asgardian gown, the bodice cut low and draped in fabric. Her hair was piled high in an elaborate up-do with only a few curls escaping. Her eyes went wide as she spotted the rest of Coulson's team wearing the same clothes they wore when they arrived.

"What are you wearing?" Jane mouthed as Darcy came close to take the last open seat next to Loki.

"The maid in my room. She said we all had to dress for dinner. She said I had to wear this," Darcy explained, tugging at the formal dress.

"It is customary to wear appropriate clothing when dining with the king," Loki observed, eyeing Darcy appreciatively. "It may be that the proper clothing still hasn't arrived at the rest of the rooms."

Darcy sighed. "So, it's just a coincidence that you and I happen to be in matching outfits?" she asked sarcastically, waving a Loki in his green leather tunic with gold armor.

"Of course, my dear. Mere chance," Loki assured her.

Darcy rolled her eyes. "Fine," she said, not believing a word as she took her seat.

A servant approached with the first course, but Loki waved him off. "First off, I'd like to propose a toast to Skye and her husband, Grant. Congratulations on their upcoming blessing."

Everyone raised a glass and a chorus of "here, here" went around the table.

After everyone had drunk, Loki looked around the table. "The healers have informed me that Skye and Grant are choosing to stay on Asgard for the remaining six months for the safety of both Skye and her child. Are the rest of you electing to remain also?"

One by one, everyone nodded.

"Excellent. Skye, I thought that we could continue our lessons, see how much further your skill in magic could progress," Loki suggested.

Skye smiled. "I'd love that."

"Good. And Thor, I'll be happy to show you around Asgard tomorrow," Loki said.

Thor nodded shortly. "I'll be interested in seeing how Asgard fares under your rule, brother," Thor said.

Loki stiffened a bit at being called "brother", but didn't say anything. "As for the rest of you, I can't very well have you running around, causing mischief, now can I? Grant, Agents Coulson, and May, I've arranged with Fandral and Volstagg for you all to assist in the training of the newest recruits and guards. We are stretched a bit thin in that regard and it would be interesting to have them learn some different techniques. It's demanding work, to be sure. You'll get to earn your keep," he said with a small smile.

Coulson and May shrugged. Coulson was half-worried that Loki was going to ship them all off to the dungeons. Training troops seemed like a reasonable alternative. He looked over to Grant, who nodded his assent.

"Very well," Loki said. "Jane, Doctors Fitz, and Simmons, I've instructed some of our finest technicians to prepare some tutorials on the basics of Asgardian technology and biology for your instruction. I know how much scientists are fascinated by different realms."

"That's brilliant!" Leo nearly shouted, his eyes wide. He realized his mistake and then colored and mumbled, "Thanks" with Jemma and Jane vigorously nodding.

"Additionally, given that the healers lack the practical experience in Midgardian biology, I trust, Dr. Simmons, that you will assist them when need be in Skye's care."

"Of course," Jemma said, not mentioning the fact that labor and delivery were far from her forte.

"And that leaves me with you," Loki said, raking his eyes over Darcy. "What position did you fulfill on Midgard?"

"I was Jane's intern. It's like an assistant. I helped her with stuff. You know, science," she said waving vaguely.

"So, would six months of learning the intricacies of Asgardian technology and mechanics fascinate you?" Loki asked, cocking his head to the side as he studied her intently.

Darcy snorted. "Not really. I didn't got to college to study that sort of stuff."

"And what did you study, my dear?"

"Political science."

"Really? How fascinating. And what did that field entail?" Loki asked, leaning in slightly.

"Studying different political systems, the art of negotiations, the history of war, the way laws are enacted and enforced . . . . that sort of thing . . . .," Darcy trailed off, not liking the look on Loki's face.

"How very . . . useful," Loki purred. "It looks like I've found a job for you as well."

"As?" Darcy asked.

"One can always use another voice of reason. The political situation for Asgard at the moment is tumultuous, to say the least. It would be interesting to have another perspective on it. And, I can't say I've ever had an . . . intern before," Loki said, his eyes boring into her. "So, what do you say, my dear? Are you interested in the position?"

"Uh . . . okay, yeah, sure. Sounds interesting," Darcy said glibly, completely ignoring Jane waving frantically at her and shaking her head no from across the table.

"I'm glad that's all settled," Loki said, waving at the servants to serve the first course.

As Coulson began to eat the lightly seasoned soup they were being served, May nudged him under the table. "You know he's just giving us jobs to keep us busy for the next six months so we don't cause any trouble, right?" she whispered softly.

"Yep. And that worries me," Coulson replied quietly.

"Why?" she asked.

"What's he going to do with us once that baby's born?"

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes-<strong> For those of you who were wondering, yes, this is going to be the longer version. That means that updates will take longer for a little bit as I finish up some of my shorter in-progress stories, but in the end, I'll be writing another 15-20 chapters for this story. I hope you enjoy them.

And, I know I've said it before, but your kind reviews are the fuel behind all of my writing. Your encouragement is what gets me through!

Also, to answer AsgardianGrizzly, Kat Dennings who plays Darcy is actually six years older than Chloe Bennet who plays Skye. Although, yes, the age differences are a bit odd. However, no one (other than Odin) seems to bat an eye that Thor is in love with Jane and he's at least 1,000 years older than her.


	47. The Gift Ch 16

**Ch. 16**

The next morning, Coulson and May arrived at the training rooms bright and early.

"This is a ridiculous stalling tactic on Loki's part. What does he really hope to accomplish?" Coulson said.

"Are you saying that because you don't want to train or because you don't like the fact they took your suit?" May observed with a sardonic smile. She actually enjoyed the red Asgardian leather and metal clothes she had been given. They were practical as well as fashionable and she secretly hoped that she'd be allowed to take them home when she left.

Coulson looked down at his green tunic and matching leather breeches, still mourning the loss of his suit. "I look ridiculous. I went to sleep last night and the servants stole my suit, leaving me this idiotic get-up. I feel like an extra from a Robin Hood movie."

"Speaking of Robin Hood," May said, waving over to the door where Fandral was entering.

"Hello, my friends," Fandral said, a grin plastered on his face. His smile widened as he neared May and his eyes travelled her form. "My dear Lady Melinda, you look quite fetching in Asgardian garb," he said as he bowed low and kissed her hand.

"Yeah . . . .yeah. . . . yeah. We've heard all about you," Coulson said curtly, through narrowed eyes, privately wondering why the alien Lothario seemed to grate on him so.

"Thank you, Fandral," May said wryly, enjoying Coulson's flustered reaction.

"Shall we begin?" Fandral said. "Are we missing someone?"

"I'm here. I'm here," Grant said, coming up behind them. "I had to take Skye to the healing rooms this morning."

Fandral's eyes widened at that. "I hope that she is faring well."

"She's fine," Grant said, not unkindly. He no longer felt threatened by the man. After Darcy had cut him so expertly done to size, Grant almost pitied him. "They just need to monitor her and try to do what they can to reduce the baby's growth rate. As it is, the baby is growing too rapidly. The stress on her body . . . " Grant trailed off, not able to finish the thought.

"She'll be fine. That's why we're here," May said, placing a reassuring hand on Grant's arm.

Grant smiled, glad that they had been able to move past their disastrous liason and to form the beginnings of a real friendship. "Thanks, May."

"We're all here to support you and Skye. You're family. We're going to do everything we can to help you," Coulson said firmly.

"Thanks . . . . Coulson, " Grant said, looking down, disturbed by the fact that he nearly called his C.O. "dad".

"Shall we begin?" Fandral asked brightly.

"Without me?" blustered a deep male voice behind them.

Fandral smiled, turning slightly. "I wouldn't dream of it. My friends, this is Volstagg. Volstagg, this is Prince Grant, The Lady Melinda and Son of Coul."

"Prince Grant?" Grant asked, bewildered.

"You are married to Princess Skye, are you not? You are the son-in-law of King Loki, are you not? Your title on Asgard is Prince Grant," Fandral explained.

"Prince Grant," Grant said, a small self-satisfied smile playing on his lips.

"Don't let it go to your head," Coulson said. "I'm still your C.O," Coulson added, but he was grinning a bit, too.

00000

"How did you enjoy your first tutorial?" the first Asgardian mentor asked Jane, Leo and Jemma, an expectant look on his face. He looked older, with graying hair and lines creasing his face, but they'd had learned that it was impossible to pin down the ages of Asgardians.

They all nodded slowly. "It was . . . . ." Jemma started, groping for words.

"Amazing," Leo supplied quickly.

Jane was mute, nibbling on her bottom lip.

"Well, I am quite glad. We will pick up from this point tomorrow. I wish you all a lovely day," the second mentor, a tall, blond-haired woman, said. Both mentors bowed low to the scientists and swept out of the room.

"Who do they think they're dealing with?" Leo exploded when they were alone in the large chamber. "How insulting was that?"

"I agree. They were purposefully obtuse, covering the fact that there was no real material with a layer of nonsensical jargon-filled fluff. It was ridiculous. Did they really think that we wouldn't figure out that there was nothing of any real substance or information in that presentation? We're supposed to endure six months of them giving us the runaround like that? What a waste of time. It was worse than the mandatory training sessions for S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. At least those had some speck of actual, real information. We just wasted what? Eight hours? Utterly imbecilic!" Jemma nearly shouted.

"Loki . . . Loki did this," Jane said, defeat in her voice.

"What?" Leo asked.

"Loki. I'm sure he ordered this. He told them to give us presentations that seemed to be helpful but that were actually just devoid of any real information. He's just giving us busy-work. He doesn't want us to learn anything real or substantial about Asgardian technology. He's going to make us attend these useless presentations so that we don't progress at all in our Bifrost design. He hoped we wouldn't notice," Jane said, a smile beginning to form on her lips.

"Why are you so happy?" Jemma asked suspiciously.

"Loki thinks he's got us taken care of. He thinks that we'll have no idea that we're not being given any real insight into Asgardian scientific advancements," Jane said conspiratorially.

"Yes . . . and?" Leo asked.

Jane beamed. "We play along. Attend every session we're assigned. But afterwards . . ."

"We find out about Asgardian technology on our own," Jemma said excitedly.

"Exactly. Loki thinks he's got us taken care of. Let's see if we can trick a trickster," Jane said with a wink.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note<strong>- Good news! I've just finished my post-Captain America:The Winter Soldier story, "**Information**" (please check it out, if you haven't already). This means I should be able to update this story more frequently! I've said it a million times, but your encouragement and up-lifting words are what fuel all my stories. So, please, if you've liked this story (or any of my others), please let me know. Your kind words literally make my day!


	48. The Gift Ch 17

**Ch. 17**

"How are you feeling, my dear?" Loki asked Skye as she began her first magical training session with Loki since her return.

"Fine. Glad that we're going to start training again. I tried and tried, but I was never able to expand my powers on Earth," Skye confessed.

"I did try to warn you. You need instruction. You can't be expected to blunder your way through on your own," and although his words were harsh, his tone was warm.

"I know. I know. This . . . . you know, training. It won't hurt the baby, will it?" Skye asked. She absent-mindedly rubbed her belly.

"Hardly. According to my mother, she used seidr throughout her pregnancy with Thor. However, you should not exert yourself. If you are feeling at all fatigued, we should stop. After all, we have nearly six months to continue your training. Look at how much you improved last time in only a month," Loki pointed out.

Skye nodded. She was excited to see how much she could improve in six months. She thought of all the ways she could help out the team if her abilities at creating illusions were more advanced.

"Alright, let us see what you can do. Fill this chamber with a smoky haze. Again, do not allow yourself to become tired," Loki warned.

Skye bit her bottom lip and concentrated. Within seconds, the entire room was filled with such a thick fog that Loki couldn't see his hand in front of his face.

"Excellent. That is a wonderful beginning. And you are suffering no ill effects?" Loki asked, concern filling his voice.

Skye smiled at his tone. "No. None at all."

"That's my girl," Loki said. "And now, let's see about building on what you already know."

000000

Later that afternoon, Loki met Thor at the stables to give him a his tour of Asgard. "I appreciate this, brother," Thor intoned gravely.

"Did I really have any choice in the matter?" Loki asked testily.

"I do not mean to try to wrest the throne from you. My only desire is to see that Asgard thrives. If it is under your rule, so be it," Thor replied evenly.

Some of the tension left Loki's body as they mounted their horses. "Good. Asgard can ill afford to having two factions vying for the crown."

"So, my brother, show me what Asgard is like with you as king," Thor said, letting his brother lead the way.

000000

When they returned to the stables that evening, Thor had to admit that Loki seemed to be a far better ruler than even his father had been. Loki had invested in the schooling and education of all classes of Asgardians, an innovation that Odin had always thought foolhardy and costly. Loki encouraged students to study more than just the usual martial training given to the general populace. Thor wondered if it reflected Loki's own reluctance to embrace Asgard's warrior culture as a youth.

Loki also encouraged training in the art of seidr for all students who showed a willingness and an aptitude. Once again, Thor guessed it was because Loki's own use of magic had never been appreciated on Asgard.

Loki also showed Thor the general marketplaces in a handful of cities which teemed with goods from every realm imaginable, in part because of Loki's efforts to work on various trade agreements with the emissaries from different realms. His ability at diplomacy seemed flawless and Thor was surprised that Loki was able to hammer out agreements with so many different dignitaries.

"So, what do you think, Thor?" Loki asked as he dismounted and handed his reins over to the waiting groom. For a moment, there was a flash of the younger Loki on his face, the little brother who had once constantly craved his brother's approval.

"Asgard seems to be faring well. You have every right to be proud of yourself, Loki," Thor said warmly. "Your innovations in education and trade are to be commended. Father would be proud."

Loki clenched his teeth. "He's not my . . . ." he began.

"Yes. Yes, he is. And your claim to the throne rests on it. Do not deny it and give fodder to your enemies," Thor warned.

Loki gave Thor a smug smile. "And when did you become so politically savvy?" he asked.

"It's something I picked up from my little brother," Thor said. "Now, let's eat," he said, clapping his younger brother on the back.

Loki shook his head ruefully. "You and Volstagg . . . . I swear, one of you is going to burst your stomach with all that you wolf down."

Thor's face darkened for a moment. "Loki, I spoke with Fandral. You have to bring back Sif and Hogun. I know that you have exiled them."

Loki clenched his teeth, the warm expression on his face vanishing. "They are both traitors and are lucky that they haven't met the executioner's ax for their attempts at rebelling against my rule."

"They are our friends. I will talk with them, smooth things over. But, Loki, you know that splitting up Sif and the Warriors Three is cruel," Thor said. "It is an unworthy act for man of honor."

Loki looked at Thor for a long moment. "Fine. Fine. I shall talk to Heimdall tomorrow. But, it is on your head, Thor. You need to talk some sense in them or it's back to Vanaheim with them."

"I will. I promise. So what kind of feast does the king have planned for us tonight?" Thor asked, a glint of amusement in his eye.

Loki let out a snort of laughter. "It's a good thing that you're only here for six months or you'll bankrupt the kingdom with your appetite."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note<strong>- Good news! I have now finished "Loki's First Child" (Loki/Darcy story)! Which means I am only working on two stories at at time (this one and "The Captain's Bride/The Sergeant's Wife")! Hopefully, this will mean that the updates will take place a bit quicker than usual!


	49. The Gift Ch 18

**Ch. 18**

It was the end of everyone's second month on Asgard. Loki finally felt as though everything was settled. Hogun and Sif had returned, dutifully promising to be obedient and serve Loki as the rightful king of Asgard. Loki didn't believe a word of it, but as long as they behaved he was willing to overlook their lack of enthusiasm for his reign.

Thor even offered to assist Fandral and Volstagg as they visited one realm after another, defeating marauders who had taken advantage of Asgard's perceived weakness. Coulson and his team were occupied with either training Loki's troops or wasting their time going through tedious tutorials that Loki was assured would give them no real information about Asgardian scientific advances. All in all, Loki couldn't be more pleased.

Except for one thing.

His "intern".

Loki had to admit, when he had chosen to have Darcy sit in on his meetings, he was merely intrigued by her obvious beauty. He had assumed that she would be a pleasant distraction while he dealt the various trade and treaty negotiations that were part of ruling a realm. He thought that she would be overwhelmed by all the pomp and circumstance of the palace, by his obvious power and influence. He was sure that that she would be meek and docile.

Only that's not what happened at all.

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For the first week, she was uncharacteristically silent when he met with his advisors or with dignitaries from other realms. She would take furious notes during each meeting and then drill him mercilessly afterwards, grilling him about each issue. She would hound him for details about Asgard's history and relations with the other realms.

He was fascinated by her relentlessness. She refused to accept his evasiveness on any topic nor the answer "That is simply the way we do it on Asgard". She badgered him again and again until he would finally sit down and explain everything in minute detail.

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By the third week, he observed that she would shake her head or wince whenever one of his military advisors would speak. Finally, he confronted her about it after the meeting was adjourned.

"Why did you disagree with what Agnarr was saying?" Loki asked after the last advisor left the room.

"Disagree? I didn't say a word," Darcy replied evasively.

"Do not be coy with me. I saw you. Why did you disagree with what he said?" Loki pressed.

Darcy gave a small sigh. "It's just . . ." and she shook her head. "I'm sure it's nothing."

"Tell me," Loki insisted.

"It's just . . . he's from one of the northern provinces, right?"

Loki nodded. "Yes? And?"

"Well, Ward and May mentioned that you haven't been getting your share of recruits from that province. In fact, less than ten percent of what was expected."

Loki's eyes narrowed. She was on to something. Something that had entirely slipped his notice. He wasn't quite sure how he felt about that. "And?" he prompted.

"The northern provinces are also where there's the most support for your cousin to become king, right?" Darcy asked.

"Yes," Loki said, but it came out as a hiss.

"Yesterday, when the dwarf delegation was here talking about supplying more battle axes and swords for your army, I saw Agnarr talking privately in the hallway with one of the delegation. It was probably nothing, but they definitely stopped talking when I came into view. Something about it was . . . off. But, it might be nothing," she said. "I'm still new here. Maybe that's just the custom."

"Perhaps it is nothing," Loki said vaguely, although he was seething inside. On more than one occasion, Agnarr's advice had led to disastrous defeats for Loki's forces in their attempts to quash the marauders' raids. Now, he wondered if it was done on purpose, to put Loki in a position of weakness and to bolster his distant cousin's reputation by default. He would need to investigate further, perhaps have Heimdall watch Agnarr for any communication with the rebel forces.

"Thank you, my dear," Loki said smoothly to Darcy. "However, I would urge you to be more vocal in your opinions. It seems as though you have a keen eye for observation."

"Uh, thanks," Darcy said, a bright blush creeping across her cheeks.

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And here it was, five weeks later, and Loki had begun to completely depend on Darcy's input. He refused to sit in a meeting if she wasn't there by his side. She consistently caught details that either Loki missed or that he had assumed were unimportant. Whispers had begun that he was relying too much on her counsel, but the truth was, she was rapidly becoming one of the few people that Loki actually trusted. Her advice was always sound and prudent and she had no problem disagreeing with Loki, an attribute sorely lacking in the rest of his sycophantic advisors.

So much for relegating her to the position of intern.

"So, how's Agnarr doing?" she asked, once they were alone, after yet another tedious council meeting. She walked over to him as he began to pace the floor, a habit that he always said helped him think better. "I haven't seen him at a meeting in weeks."

"I am sure he is faring well. Although the prison guards would know his status better."

"Guards? What happened?"

"I had Heimdall monitor Agnarr over the course of a few weeks. He had negotiated privately for a stockpile of weapons from the dwarf delegation to be delivered to my dear cousin. He also held back on the recruits, having them delivered instead to my cousin's care for training in an attempt to raise an army against me."

"Oh, Loki. I'm sorry," Darcy said, wincing a bit.

"Don't be, my dear. I never would have found out what he had planned if not for you."

"We do make a good team," she said.

Loki looked over at her and made a decision. A decision he had been debating for weeks. He advanced on her, taking an errant curl of hers and rubbing it between his fingers. "We could make even a better one," he said, licking his lips in anticipation.

"Really?" she looked up at him, heart in her throat.

"I would not exactly object to having you warm my bed," he said, as the back of his hand brushed the side of her face.

Darcy pulled back. "Warm your bed?" she scoffed. "I'm not doing all this to become your bit on the side, for some kind of casual hook-up."

"What else then?"

Darcy cocked an eyebrow.

Loki smiled in appreciation. "Queen of Asgard. . . . my, my . . . aren't we ambitious?" She rose once again in his estimation.

"Like you aren't," she shot back impishly.

"There is that," he conceded. "Marriage is a big commitment."

"Not for you," she countered.

"Why not?" he asked, perplexed.

"Well, let's face it. I'm mortal, remember. I'll kick the bucket in sixty, seventy years. A blink of the eye to someone like you. Then you can always find someone else."

Find someone else? It had been a thousand years of loneliness for Loki. His daughter would be leaving in a few short months. And he had no true friends, he realized. Sif and the Warriors Three had tolerated Thor's little "brother", but they had turned on him quickly enough. Would he ever find someone who intrigued him like this little mortal? A woman who had consumed his thoughts for the last several weeks? He doubted it. "Oh, my dear Darcy, I fear you would spoil me for other women," Loki said.

Darcy gave him a cocky smile. "I probably would."

Loki bent his head down, capturing her in an intoxicating kiss, cupping her cheek as he drew her close. "I wouldn't mind being spoiled," he breathed across the delicate skin on the nape of her neck, delighting in her reaction.

His hands fell to her waist and he tugged her even closer.

"Woah . . . woah, tiger. Take it easy. Ring first," Darcy said as she pulled away, shaking her head no.

"Don't you trust me?" Loki asked, his voice low and seductive, but he released her from his grasp, letting her step back.

"Of course . . . but I'm tired of giving my heart away and having it broken. So, this time, I'm playing it smart."

"So your head is overruling your heart?" he asked.

"No . . . not at all. For the first time, they're working together. Because, this," she said, pointing to the two of them, "what we have between us, is worth playing it smart. It's worth waiting for. It's," she swallowed hard, "it's worth being sure that you are actually worth having my heart broken over."

Darcy knew that she was making herself vulnerable by admitting to Loki how much she cared about him, how much he meant to her. She was putting so much of her heart in his hands. But the last two months with him had been unlike anything she had ever known. He was intelligent and cunning and fascinating and she couldn't stop thinking about him. And she wasn't willing to risk the chance that they could be together by rushing things.

Loki looked into Darcy's impossibly blue eyes, all pretense and teasing abandoned. "I would never do that to you, Darcy."

Darcy looked up at him, her voice unsteady. "No one ever thinks that they will. But, then, it's two years later and I'm sitting in the middle of my kitchen floor, gorging on ice cream and crying so hard that I don't think I'll ever be able to cry again. I . . . I can't do that. Not again. Not over you."

Loki pursed his lips. "Very well. I can see your point. We shall 'play it smart' as you say. We still have four months before you are scheduled to depart. Let us see if I can woo both your heart and your head." The more he thought about it, the better it sounded. Having her by his side. Having her as his queen.

He'd never have to be alone again.


	50. The Gift Ch 19

**Ch. 19**

"Thank you, thank you so very much," Jemma said warmly to their tutors before she, Leo, and Jane were dismissed for midday meal.

"You are so welcome. We will return in two hours to resume our lessons," their tutors replied, giving the three of them a short bow before leaving the tutorial room. The lighted displays that were projected holographically in the middle of the room dimmed as the tutors walked out and the room's lights came back on.

"You've really gotten a lot better at lying, Jemma," Leo observed once they were alone.

Jemma blew out a breath in frustration. "I've had a lot of practice in the last three months," she said wryly. "Of course, that tutorial was oh, so helpful. Thank you so much for condescending to teach us," she said in an overly fake, simpering tone.

Jane bit back a laugh. "The important thing is that they have no clue that we're on to them. I was able to make it out to the Bifrost yesterday and talk to Heimdall again," Jane said. "He gave me tons more information on how the Yggdrasil works."

"But, can you trust him not to tell Loki?" Leo asked.

"He's bound by an oath to be loyal to the king of Asgard, but he has an amazing ability to find loopholes in that oath. I can't tell you how many times he went against Odin. As long as Loki doesn't directly forbid Heimdall from talking to me, I think we're fine," Jane assured them.

"I think we'll be able to do it. I really think we'll be able to pull it off," Jemma said.

Jane nodded. "Given all the information we've collected on our own, I'm confident we'll be able to get a working prototype up and running within a few weeks of our return."

"I can't wait to get back home," Leo said wistfully. He couldn't help but notice a certain Errol Flynn-type hanging around Jemma during every spare moment. He looked over at Jemma, looking ethereal and beautiful in a flowing pale blue Asgardian dress, her hair in delicate ringlets framing her face. It had taken Leo weeks to feel comfortable in the Asgardian garb they were asked to wear, but his eyes widened in appreciation when he saw Jemma in one of her Asgardian gowns. They were all expertly tailored to fit her and she took his breath away when he saw her. Soon, his every waking moment was focused on her. His errant thoughts of how he felt about her soon became an obsession. He wanted to get her back on Earth and away from suave Asgardians as soon as possible.

"I don't know. It's fascinating here. And everyone, with the exception of Loki, has been rather nice," Jemma declared, a dreamy look on her face. She had never been so complimented in her entire life. And while she was sure that Fandral's attraction to her was mostly physical, she had to admit that it was a welcome change from a life of constant work and assignments.

Jane sucked in a noisy breath and squinted her eyes before giving a small sigh. "Jemma, please, watch out for Fandral. I mean, I think he's a great guy and he's really brave and he's helped us out more times than I can count, but from what Thor's said, he is a bit of a . . . ." Jane trailed off, not knowing how to phrase it delicately.

"Womanizing cad," Leo suggested.

"I was going to say 'ladies' man'," Jane said.

"Well, I think he's quite charming," Jemma declared firmly.

Leo rolled his eyes as Fandral entered the room as if on cue, looking every bit the knockoff Robin Hood cosplayer that Leo took him for.

"Hello my dear ladies and . . . Dr. Fitz," Fandral said as he approached.

"Speak of the devil," Leo muttered under his breath.

"I've come to escort you to the dining rooms for the midday meal. I hope you won't mind," he said smoothly.

"Actually . . ." Leo began.

"That'd be lovely," Jemma interjected, shooting Leo a pained look.

Jemma and Fandral walked off arm and arm, leaving Leo to shake his head behind them.

Jane approached Leo, a smile on her face. "You should tell her."

Leo shot her a confused look. "Tell her what?"

"Tell her that you love her," Jane said simply.

"Love her? No, you've got it wrong. Jemma and I, we're just pals, mates, you know. She's my best friend," Leo said.

Jane looked up at him, a twinkle in her eye. "She's a lot more than that to you. It's obvious that you love her. Why don't you tell her?"

"Who can compete with Mr. Dashing over there?" Leo said, waving in Fandral's direction.

"Love isn't a competition. Jemma is responding to Fandral because he pays her attention. He's trying to woo her. But, from what I know of him, it's probably just a superficial attraction. You and Jemma, you're a matched set. A team. And she cares for you," Jane said.

"Like a brother," Leo said, bitterness leaking into every word.

"If you don't want her to see you like a brother, stop treating her like a sister," Jane said.

"What do you mean?" Leo asked.

Jane shook her head and gave Leo an amused smile. "We're living in a beautiful palace. They have the most gorgeous gardens here that I have ever seen. There are islands and waterfalls and seriously, it's like living in a postcard. This place is literally built for romance. Show her some."

Leo brightened. "Thanks, Jane. I appreciate it."

"You're welcome," Jane said with a grin. Now if she could only get her own love life in order. With Thor spending most of his time fight marauders for Loki across the Nine Realms, she'd been missing him more than she had thought she would. Perhaps she needed to take her own advice and plan her own romantic night with Thor when he finally came back.

She nodded to herself. That's just what she'd do.


	51. The Gift Ch 20

**Ch. 20**

On pain of death, Coulson would never admit it to anyone, but he was actually enjoying himself, training every day with May, Ward, Sif, and Hogun. He'd secretly admired the Sif and the Warriors Three ever since the New Mexico incident and there was something freeing about not being in charge. He wasn't responsible for any missions, didn't need to track down any bad guys. Every day, he got up, dressed like an extra from a Robin Hood movie and spent eight hours training new recruits.

He still missed his suit, however.

He had made it a point to touch base with FitzSimmons at least once a week and check on their progress. Given the data they had surreptitiously collected with Dr. Foster, they were confident they'd have a working bifrost portal soon after they returned from Asgard. Having the means to travel to Asgard or any other Realm would level the playing field somewhat. Even though Loki had behaved himself during the last few months, Coulson would never truly trust him. Every morning as he dressed, he'd look at the scar on his chest and be forcibly reminded of Loki's ability to destroy those around him. Despite Loki's assurances to the contrary, Coulson wouldn't be surprised if they all still ended up in the dungeons.

At least, Skye seemed to be doing better. She still had another three months before the birth of her baby, but things were progressing well. The baby's growth had been severely slowed down thanks to the Asgardian healers and the last time Coulson talked to her, she was upbeat and positive, eager to show him all the different tricks that Loki had taught her. Coulson was glad of her progress, but still wary of all the time she was spending with her father.

Ward, on the other hand, was even more quiet than usual. Coulson tried to draw him out, get him to talk about it, but he couldn't force the younger man to share what was bothering him. Coulson wasn't sure it was the thought of his impending fatherhood or the fact that they were essentially stranded on Asgard that put Ward on edge.

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After a hearty breakfast together of a sweetened, thick porridge with light green berries, Coulson made his way to the training rooms. May was already there, decked out in her red, leather Asgardian armor, putting a new batch of recruits through their paces. Coulson looked over at her for a while and had to smile. For some reason, being on Asgard seemed to lighten her mood. Perhaps she, like Coulson, was leaving the responsibilities and burdens of being a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent behind. They both should have been on edge, living and serving in the palace of an egomaniacal killer, but getting away from S.H.I.E.L.D. seemed to relax them both. It reminded him of when they first served together. He remembered being so flustered around her. She was one of the most beautiful women he had ever met and he felt gawky and awkward around her. It didn't take long for them to become fast friends, however, and for a time, so much closer than friends.

But maintaining a relationship while serving S.H.I.E.L.D. was nearly impossible. There were anti-fraternization rules in place for a reason. Before long, they were sent on assignments on opposite sides of the world. A year later, when they were paired up on a mission once again, she was cold and brusque with him, obviously hurt that he put his devotion to S.H.I.E.L.D. above his affection towards her. And then Bahrain happened and the May that he once knew seemed forever lost.

But, as he glanced over at her, laughing and teasing with Sif, comparing techniques with Hogun, he was struck by how light-hearted and carefree she seemed to him, two adjectives he hadn't associated with her in decades. He vaguely wondered if those changes were permanent or if she'd revert to the way she was once they returned to Earth. For a moment, he wanted to stay on Asgard forever, a notion that made him nearly start to laugh.

"Penny for your thoughts?" May said, sidling up next to him and smiling at him as he surveyed the new recruits, with Ward showing them a few new moves.

"I . . . . Do you ever wish things could have gone differently? Every wish you had zigged instead of zagged?" he asked.

"All the time. Everyone does. But every day is a new opportunity to zig," she said, chuckling slightly.

"Really?" he asked. He wished it were true. He wished that he could believe that life was a never-ending buffet of second chances.

"Really," she said firmly, hands clasped behind her back as she looked out over the room.

"There are a lot of decisions I'd take back. A lot of roads I'd wish I hadn't travelled down. A lot of times I turned right when I should have turned left."

"I know," May said simply.

"Do you?" he asked. They had danced around this topic for months, neither one actually putting how they felt into words.

She turned to him, looking him in the eyes. "What we had together was special, unique. We were both too young and foolish to realize it at the time," she said.

"May . . . I . . .," his voice broke. "I'm sorry. Sorry that I chose a career in S.H.I.E.L.D. over you. It wasn't right. It's a decision I regret to this day," he said.

"I know," she repeated. "I am, too. I could have come to you. I could have tried to fight against it. But, I was hurt and I felt rejected so I . . . . I just shut down."

"Do you ever think that someday, you and I could maybe . . . ." his voice trailed off.

"Why do you think I came along on your team?" she asked lightly.

"This whole time? You were just waiting for me to get my priorities straight?" he asked, dumbfounded.

"And are they?" she asked, slipping her hand in his and giving it a slight squeeze.

Coulson nodded, not trusting himself to speak. He couldn't keep the grin off his face as he held her hand, swinging it back and forth slightly, remembering what it was to be young and in love. Being stuck on Asgard wasn't so bad after all.


	52. The Gift Ch 21

**Ch. 21**

If there was one thing that Grant Ward hated more than anything in the world, it was feeling weak. When he was a child, that feeling of weakness, of being small, of being helpless overpowered him at times. The horrors he had to endure as a kid still gave him nightmares, still caused him to toss and turn at night. As he grow older and stronger and learned to fight back, the feeling of being weak came to him less and less often. At times, it would surface as only a hazy memory.

Other times, like when Skye got shot or when she was first taken to Asgard by Loki, made him feel so powerless and anxious that he was sure that he was ten years old again.

The older he got, the more he trained. And not just physically. He learned all the tricks of the trade. Surveillance, undercover work, deception training, he excelled at all of them. Because he knew that there was more than just physical weakness. He knew there were more than one way to feel like you were under someone else's thumb.

He ended up hating almost every minute he was in Asgard.

Asgardians were strong. The greenest recruit that he trained could easily throw him across the room without even straining himself. He learned within the first day just how much stronger and faster they were than him. Both May and Coulson seemed unfazed by it, but it ate at Grant. He didn't mind training recruits, but he was used to always being the more powerful one, the stronger one, the one in control. Having to make sure he didn't let any of his trainees' punches land when they sparred stung him. But he knew that even a glancing blow by one of the Asgardians would land him at the healing rooms.

He hid all of this from Coulson and May, although they had both approached him time after time, sensing that something was wrong. He was touched by their concern, but he couldn't let them see the weakness inside of him. He was ashamed of it. He had to be strong; he had to be invincible.

Skye came back every night to their rooms with more and more tales of how her own powers were growing during her training lessons with Loki. At first, he was excited for her, seeing how delighted she was as she mastered them one by one. But, a gnawing worry grew as she kept mentioning the possibility of her using her powers on missions, working alongside Grant. What if she didn't need him any more? What if she grew stronger than him? What use would he have if she didn't need him to protect her anymore?

The tipping point came one night when he returned to their chambers to see himself sitting in one of the large, overstuffed chairs near the fireplace. At first, he thought it was Loki playing one of his tiresome tricks, but then Skye came bounding out of the bathroom, grinning from ear to ear, her long Asgardian dress swaying as she practically twirled out to meet him.

"I did it! I did it!" she exclaimed, a jubilant grin on her face.

"Did what?" Grant said flatly, straining to keep his expression neutral. Seeing himself sitting across the room was unnerving at best.

She ran up to him, hugging him tightly and he returned the embrace, soaking in her love, basking in her acceptance. When all seemed wrong with the world, her devotion acted like a balm, soothing away his worries and fears.

"I was able to make a real illusion! Not just smoke and haze, but a real person!" she shouted, giddy with joy, hugging him all the more tightly.

"I can see that," Grant said, looking over at his doppelgänger, still sitting in the chair, blank-faced and emotionless. "How long has he been . . .?" he began.

"Oh, a few hours now. Loki told me to focus on the person I knew best in the world. I haven't managed to make him speak, but Loki said that I just needed to be patient. He's so impressed by how far I've gotten," she said warmly.

"The person you know best in the world?" Grant asked tentatively, his heart soaring at the idea.

"My sweet husband, of course" she said and gave him another squeeze before letting go. She waved her hand and the "false" Grant slowly faded away, leaving an empty chair.

Grant nodded, not trusting himself to speak, his uncomfortableness about seeing his illusionary twin forgotten after her declaration of love and affection. "How are you feeling?" he asked, after a long moment.

"Great! No strain, no exhaustion," she reported.

"And the baby?" he asked cautiously.

"She's wonderful. I can't believe we still have to wait three more months to meet her," she said, rubbing her ever-growing belly.

Ever since they found out that they were having a girl, the fact that he was going to be a father became more real to Grant. And he didn't want to be the kind of father that he had. He didn't want to create the kind of family that he had grown up with. He wanted to break free of his past and show his daughter a family bound together by love. He owed it to her. He owed it to Skye. He owed it to himself.

Three months. He just needed to hold it together for three more months. He could do it. He had to do it.

His family depended on him.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note<strong>- 450 reviews! 450! I seriously want to give you all a big fandom hug right now. Thank you so much for every single one. You have no idea how motivating they are!

I can't wait until for the next season of Agents of Shield to start! The first episode is this Tuesday night! I won't be watching it until late Wednesday night, so please, no spoilers! But after that, please feel free to PM me; I love hash out fan theories with other people who love the show.


	53. The Gift Ch 22

**Author's Note**- I'm not going to lie. That first episode of the season knocked me for a loop. Oh my! I felt the need to treat myself to some up-lifting, heart-warming FitzSimmons moments. Don't we all deserve some?

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><p><strong>Ch. 22<strong>

Fandral was handsome.

Fandral was dashing.

Fandral was flattering.

Fandral was . . . . boring.

Jemma sighed slightly as she suffered through yet another rendition of Fandral's ode to her eyes. She tried to give him a smile, but it came out more like a grimace. She idly wondered how many times the same tired poem had been reworked for other women. She tensed when he went on about the "azure pools of her soul". Her eyes were hazel, not blue. He hadn't even bothered to look at her eyes before launching into the tiresome sonnet.

She blamed Fitz for her predicament. In the past, she had numerous flirtations based on physical attraction. Her cheeks warmed as she remembered her visceral reaction to examining Mike Peterson, for example. And so, she should have been able to just let her mind go and enjoy her time with Fandral, soaking in his compliments, admiring his handsome physique.

But Fitz's crack about the Chitauri illness had put Jemma on edge. She mentally calculated Fandral's age and the amount of women he had been with. And while she was fairly sure she wouldn't come down with the Asgardian version of mono if they kissed, she couldn't quite bring herself to do it. She had studied enough epidemiology to be wary of the chance of getting infected with some horrid disease that had no effective cure for "mortals".

Fandral took her coyness for "playing hard to get" and seemed more determined than ever to win her over. But to Jemma, he seemed to be going through the motions, just playing a part. His heart didn't seem into it and he seemed almost distracted.

"Where are you, my love?" Fandral said, as he caught her wool-gathering.

"Um . . . ., just thinking about Skye. Sorry, it's just that I worry about her. My expertise in labor and delivery is limited and the healers haven't ever had to deal with a human before."

"Half-human," Fandral said. "But you're right. The fact that she is half-Jotun is even worse, I suppose. The healers have no past examples to draw experience from."

Jemma nodded briskly. "Well, I should get going. I told Fitz I'd meet him in the library."

"Every moment without you will be an eternity," Fandral declared, leaning down to kiss her hand.

Jemma gave him a bright, fake smile. "Right back at you," she lied unconvincingly.

As she left the courtyard, she shook her head. It was all Fitz's fault. Before, having a romance based solely on mutual attraction had been enough, because let's face it, there wasn't anyone who could keep up with her mentally. Except for Fitz. Jemma shook her head. He'd never showed the slightest inkling that he was interested in anything more than friendship. Which was fine, she supposed. What they had was good. It was strong. Romance would come and go, but someone like Fitz, that was someone you had with you your entire life.

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Fitz was tugging on his Asgardian leather tunic when Jemma entered the main library. She couldn't help but grin. He, like Coulson, hated the Asgardian clothes and couldn't wait until they were back and he could go back to his standard uniform of a button-down shirt and tie.

"Hi," she said as she entered and his head snapped up and he began to blush.

"Hi," he said and she could tell he was nervous from the way he was fidgeting a bit.

"So, what are we going to investigate?" she asked brightly. The main library had thousands of books and it was always a bit of a challenge to find the right volume.

"Actually . . . you haven't eaten yet, have you? Only, I know that you were with Fandral and I thought you two might have . . . .," he trailed off, looking anxious again.

"No, actually I haven't. Should we go to the kitchens and get some supper before we start?" she asked.

"No!" he nearly shouted. Then, he calmed a bit. "No, I've got something planned. Could you . . . could you follow me?"

"Alright," she said dubiously and followed him down a series of twisting corridors to a door that led to the gardens. He opened the door for her and followed her outside.

Jemma nearly gasped. The formal garden was bathed in moon-light and there were row upon row of blooming flowers in a riot of gorgeous colors.

"I. . . I talked to the head gardener. He said that this is called the 'Moon-light Garden'. All the flowers here only bloom at night," he said. "I remember how much you said you enjoyed gardening with your mum back home."

"Oh, Leo, it's . . . . it's beautiful," Jemma said.

"Um . . . come on. I want to show you something else," he said and took her hand and led her along a path lined with hedges of sweet-smelling delicate pink blooms.

When they came to clearing, Jemma gasped. Laid out on a blanket was a feast of every single food she had come to love on Asgard. There was roasted pheasant and root vegetables in shades of blue and purple. There were at least five different types of cheeses and hard crusty bread. There were green and yellow berries that exploded in flavor in your mouth. But the best was an enormous honey cake filled with thick sweetened cream. Jemma had had dreams about that cake. Many dreams.

"Leo, this is simply amazing," she said as she sank down on her knees onto the blanket and he settled next to her. "Thank you so much."

"There's something . . . there's something I've been meaning to tell you," he said.

"Yes?"

"Jemma, I know you and Fandral have been spending a lot of time together, but you deserve more than to be someone's latest conquest. You deserve to be their only love."

"Their only love? Leo, what are you saying?" she asked, head cocked to the side.

"You've been there the whole time . . . years to tell the truth and I never noticed . . . I never let myself notice. You're more than a friend, Jemma. You're my everything."

"Leo?" she breathed, understanding dawning on her.

"Jemma, I may not have a thousand years of practice sweeping women off of their feet, but please know that this comes from my heart. I love you. I've loved you for so very long that I don't know when I started loving you."

"Oh, Leo," Jemma said.

"I know I'm not suave or dashing or . . ." Leo began, looking down nervously at his hands.

"Oh, do shut up," Jemma said, as she grabbed him and kissed him.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note-<strong> I hope you enjoyed it. As I said, that last episode kind of gutted me and I needed some happy FitzSimmons feels to get over it.


	54. The Gift Ch 23

**Ch. 23**

Skye and Darcy decided to skip out on their responsibilities one afternoon and just catch up. They had gotten to know each other fairly well on the Bus, but had hardly seen one another since they arrived on Asgard. Skye suggested that they go to the outdoor market, remembering how many beautiful items there were on display. However, remember how much trouble they had last time, Skye made sure a contingent of five palace guards came with them.

"So, you and my dad?" Skye asked Darcy, as Darcy eyed a gorgeous handmade scarf at one stall.

"Um . . . yeah. Sort of. We're taking things slow. Like glacially slow. Is it . . . is it weird for you?" Darcy asked tentatively, letting go of the scarf and peering at Skye.

"A little . . . at first. But, Jane's with my uncle and nobody bats an eye at that. And you are a lot older than me," Skye pointed out impishly.

"Only six years!" Darcy shot back.

"You totally could have been my babysitter when I was a kid," Skye said.

"Okay . . . now I'm the hot babysitter who ran off with your dad. That doesn't sound weird at all," Darcy said sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

Skye burst out laughing. "Really. It's fine. To be honest, it would have weirded me out more if you had hooked up with Coulson."

"Coulson? After he stole my iPod? No way. Plus, May would have beat me down before I got within ten feet of him," Darcy said.

"So, it's true? I haven't seen them in a while," Skye said wistfully. Every waking moment was spent either at the healers, practicing her craft, or training with Loki.

"Yep. They are totally together. It's kind of cute. They do the whole 'holding hands underneath the table' thing. It's adorable," Darcy said.

"Good. Good for them. I always hoped . . .," Skye trailed off, giving Darcy a big smile. "I really am glad about you and my dad. I know how lonely he is. He really doesn't have any friends here. And, yeah, of course, it'll take time to get used to having you as my step-mom, but I can tell you make him happy. I don't think he's known much happiness, especially in the last few years, ever since he found out about . . ."

"The whole Jotun thing. Yeah, it really threw him for a loop. He's still pulling out of it. We had to meet with a delegation last month and I could see his hands shaking, even though he tried to hide it," Darcy said.

"He met with the Jotuns?" Skye asked, perplexed.

"They're on the brink of civil war. Since Loki took out his bio-dad, there was a huge power vacuum left behind. Factions at each other's throats. Loki offered to mediate and to pay reparations for the destruction down by the Bifrost," Darcy explained.

"He did?" Skye asked, her voice hopeful. The fact that he had not only met with the Jotuns but offered to pay for the devastation that he had wrought on their realm made Skye smile. It seemed as though Darcy was a good influence on her father.

Darcy nodded. "Look, Loki did some unbelievably awful things. I'm not excusing what he did. But he's trying to make up for it little by little. It'll take decades, but he's working on it. He won't admit it, but he's ashamed of what he did. He lashed out in pain and anger for so long and now, he's trying to come back from it."

Skye stared at Darcy, amazed at what she was hearing. Perhaps there was hope for her father after all.

000000

Thor walked into the cavernous training rooms and beamed heartily as he saw Hogun and Sif alongside Coulson, May, and Grant, barking orders at the new recruits. He was glad to be back on Asgard. If he were honest with himself, fighting marauders across the Nine Realms was much more satisfying than sitting around the S.H.I.E.L.D. plane trying to describe the Bifrost and how it worked to Jane and FitzSimmons.

But, he longed for a respite to the weeks of hunting down the malicious rabble that tried to take advantage of Asgard's instability to wreak havoc on weaker prey. Volstagg had been fine company, but Fandral had been mooning about, worried that he had lost his edge. After being rebuffed by Skye, Darcy, and Jemma, Fandral had lost his confidence with the ladies. Thor had little pity on him, knowing that his dear friend had used his string of romantic liaisons as a sort of game of conquest, not truly treasuring the women he had seduced.

Thor's thoughts turned to Jane and how he longed to see her again. After being together for so many months, the weeks of separation had worn on him. He desired nothing more than to see her again, to be with her again.

"My friends!" Thor shouted joyfully as he drew near and drew both Hogun and Sif into a firm embrace. Coulson smiled up at him, shaking his hand, and May nodded warmly at him. Thor noted that they were standing quite close together and he wondered if they had become more than friends in his absence.

"My nephew!" Thor said to Grant, clapping him on the back, and Grant gave him his usual pained smile at the family endearment. Thor could sense that there was something amiss with his niece's husband. For some reason, he reminded Thor of Loki, full of pain and brokenness. Loki, however, wore it on his sleeve, lashing out at everyone. Grant, on the other hand, kept it hidden, tightly controlled under a façade. If Thor hadn't have spent centuries dealing with Loki, he might have been fooled. As it was, he kept a wary eye out for his nephew, worried that some day he might follow in his father-in-law's footsteps.

"Might we have a word?" Sif asked. "Alone?" she added, giving Coulson and his team a smile.

Thor nodded. "Of course. If you'll excuse us," he said to Coulson and led the way to small side chamber to speak with Hogun and Sif.

"What is it that you need to tell me?" Thor asked.

"You've got to take the throne," Sif said gravely.

"Sif, I cannot . . ." Thor began.

"She's right. You are the rightful heir. Because of what Loki's done, Asgard is shattering apart. Your cousin's base of powers and his followers grow every day. If you step in, take the crown, Asgard will know peace," Hogun said grimly.

"I will not betray my brother like that," Thor insisted.

"That's all he's ever done to you. How many times has he lied to you? Betrayed you? You cannot allow Asgard to go up in flames because of your loyalty to a brother who disowns you at every turn," Sif replied.

"You are speaking treason, Sif. If Loki were to find out . . . I promised him that you would be loyal," Thor said.

"And I am loyal. To Asgard. And it will only survive with you as its king," she said.

Thor took a deep breath. "We will speak no more of this. Sif, Hogun, you are my dearest friends, but I cannot do what you ask."

"Then Asgard will burn while you run back to Midgard," she said disdainfully as she turned and left, Hogun at her heels.

Thor sighed as he watched them go. The worst part was that her words held truth and he knew that she wanted the best for Asgard. He shook his head. He had never truly entertained the notion of trying to wrest the throne from Loki, but neither could he watch Asgard fall. He let out a slow breath as he wished for simpler times.

He would make no decisions at the moment. He needed to talk to Jane first.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note<strong>- I cannot wait for Tuesday's episode, the second one of the season! That first one really knocked me for a loop! I won't get to watch the second one until very late Wednesday night, so no spoilers please!

And I just checked and this story has 250 followers! You all rock! Thank you so very much! Knowing that you are enjoying the story so much is so incredibly motivating!


	55. The Gift Ch 24

**Ch. 24**

Darcy hummed a little tune to herself as she walked the palace halls. She smiled at the guards as she walked by. She was pleased to see that every single one of them seemed to know her, acknowledge her as someone of importance. Each one gave her a deferential nod and a wide smile.

Although she and Loki weren't "officially" engaged yet, they talked constantly of their future together. He was so eager to make Asgard a place that she would love as much as Earth, promising to make sure she could maintain contact with family and friends back home via Heimdall. She was certain she'd be getting a ring any day now.

Although, to be honest, she was exactly sure exactly how those things worked on Asgard. She'd need to ask one of the advisers. Perhaps there was a formal process to betrothal. She really couldn't imagine Loki getting down on one knee to ask for her hand in marriage. She began to giggle at the mental image it brought up.

She was so glad that she had gotten a chance to catch up with Skye and clear the air. She had been so worried that her spending time with Loki would put a strain on her friendship with Skye. Instead, she had had a blast with her, shopping for hours in the market, using Skye's trick of charging everything to the palace.

She was walking into the main council meeting rooms, laden down with her purchases to show Loki when she heard Sif yelling at Loki in a corner, their backs to her.

"You cannot be serious!" Sif spat out.

"Whatever are you referring to?" Loki asked calmly.

"You cannot mean to take a queen from Midgard to rule over Asgard. You're insane!"

"Am I?" Loki said, in a deep, rich voice, advancing on Sif, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Are you offering to take her place? Be my queen? Rule by my side? Share my bed?"

Instantly, Darcy fled, not able to stand a moment longer. She ran to her room, slamming the door behind her, flinging herself on the the bed as tears streamed down her face.

_Of course, Loki's going to choose her over you. Of course. How stupid could you be, Darcy? He's known her for centuries. She's beautiful. She's a warrior. She's Asgardian. She'll live for centuries after you're gone. You're just some stupid passing diversion. He's already bored of you. Why would he ever choose you? You're just a child to him. Just a plaything. _

The voice in her head berated her for hours as she sobbed on her bed, feeling ridiculous. What had she expected? There was no happily ever after for them. So much for guarding her heart. She could practically feeling it bleeding all over the bed.

She had been an idiot to ever believe that she could be with Loki.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note-<strong> Oh my! I am just loving the first two episodes of season 2. They have been amazing! I can't wait until Wednesday night when I can see episode 3!


	56. The Gift Ch 25

**Ch. 25**

"You cannot mean to take a queen from Midgard to rule over Asgard. You're insane!" Sif yelled.

"Am I?" Loki said, in a deep, rich voice, advancing on Sif, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Are you offering to take her place? Be my queen? Rule by my side? Share my bed?"

Sif's lip curled in disgust as she batted his hand away. "I'm in no mood for your games, Loki."

Loki gave a short bark of a laugh. "I thought not. Sif, I know that you and I haven't gotten along in well, years really, but whom I marry is really no concern of yours."

"You are the present king of Asgard. I have sworn loyalty to my realm. That makes it my concern," she pointed out tartly.

"Present king?" Loki asked acidly.

"Until Odin awakens," she replied with an arched eyebrow.

"Of course. Until he awakens. I am quite sure that is what you meant," Loki replied sarcastically.

"You are determined to destroy Asgard, aren't you?" she asked, shaking her head in contempt.

"I hardly think me marrying Darcy will ruin the realm. It will be fun though, won't it? Our child, half-Jotun and half-Midgardian ruling Asgard. It'll be centuries before another 'true' Asgardian will sit on the throne. Is that what really galls you?"

She shook her head. "Hardly. Why would that matter to me?"

"Well, it seems to matter to everyone else. My own cousin is using it as a campaign point to rally his side and get more recruits, is he not? 'Asgard for Asgardians' is how it goes, I believe."

"Loki, I could not care less that you are Jotun. What I care about is the fact that you've spent the last few years cutting a bloody swath across the Nine Realms, destroying everything you've touched. And you're going to bring Asgard down with you. Marrying a Midgardian is just the first step," she sneered.

"Are you so very upset that I am marrying a Midgardian or that my brother is set to do so as well? You were rejected by both royal princes. That must really sting, Sif," Loki said.

"This has nothing to do with Thor," Sif insisted, but her cheeks began to redden.

"Nothing? Really?" Loki asked, head cocked to the side with a malicious grin, enjoying her discomfort. "I know that Odin wanted the match. Fairly pushed you on Thor. And yet, he chose a lowly Midgardian over you. Thor chose Midgard over Asgard in order to be with her. He renounced his claim to the throne to be by her side, to be in her embrace. Is that why you oppose me at every turn? In an effort to have Thor running back to Asgard and into your arms? Are you really so upset at the prospect of Darcy becoming queen or the fact that you won't be?"

"You're grasping at straws!" she shouted.

"Am I? I've known you for centuries, Sif. How many men have captivated you the way that Thor has? I haven't been blind. I've seen the way you look at him. You'd be the logical choice. Pity that Thor thinks with his heart," he retorted.

"Yes, that is a pity. If he were logical, he'd know that you're just biding your time before you take your revenge and leave all of Asgard in ashes. His loyalty and love for you has blinded him to the reality," she said

"And what reality is that?" he asked, his arms crossed.

"That you know nothing of self-sacrifice. Of duty. Of loyalty. Your quest for power and position will drag us all down."

"My, my. You've been back for such a short time and already you're set to lead a rebellion against me."

Sif clenched her jaw. "I didn't say that."

"Didn't you?" he smirked. "You've already told me that you find me unfit to rule. That Thor would be the better choice. I'd be careful there, Sif. You lack of guile may land you in the dungeons yet."

"Do not twist my words. I am loyal to Asgard," she ground out.

"Ah, but are you loyal to me, its sworn king?" he asked.

"Of course," she said flatly.

"Of course . . . .," he scoffed, shaking his head and trying not to laugh. "My dear Sif, you really are a horrible liar."

"Well, I suppose that I could always take lessons from you," she sniped back.

"You seemed determined to cast me as the villain, Sif. We've known each other long enough to know that I am not some maniacal evildoer," he reasoned.

"And yet, how many have you killed in the past few years out of a desire for power, for vengeance? The guards who died when you let the Jotuns into the weapons vault? The Frost Giants you slaughtered when you attempted to destroy their realm? The Midgardians you mowed down in an attempt to overtake their planet? How much blood is on your hands, Loki?"

"No more than Thor. Or have you forgotten all of his war-mongering ways? How many times we ended up doing battle because of his ego, his pride? And definitely less than Odin. For all of his 'peace-loving' rhetoric, he only ruled Asgard by might, by force. 'A wise king must always be ready for war' was one of his favorite sayings. Odin's legacy is steeped in blood. Asgard's whole society writes odes in it, sings songs of it, revels in it. Asgard's history drips from the blood of its warriors. You are no innocent yourself, Sif. I have seen you in battle," he shot back.

"I fought to protect the peace," she countered.

"And so shall I. Make no mistake, Sif. Any challenge to my rule will result in you spending the rest of your days in the dungeons. Do not make me regret allowing you to return. Our past friendship will not protect you if you choose to oppose me. Do you understand?" he spat out.

She looked at him through narrowed eyes. "I do."

"Very well, then. You are dismissed," Loki said curtly, no longer in the mood to argue with her.

Sif dipped her head in acknowledgement, turning on heel and stalking off.

Loki rubbed the bridge of his nose, tension still coiling through his body. There was a time when he, Sif and the Warriors Three had all been friends, when it had seemed that they would spend the centuries as comrades. His memories of happier times stung him, making the current rancor among them all the more painful. He was tired of the bickering, of the in-fighting. Ruling Asgard was hardly the prize he assumed it would be.

At least he had Darcy.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note<strong>- I seriously can't wait until I get to see episode three on Wed. night. I am loving the new season!


	57. The Gift Ch 26

**Ch. 26**

It took Thor the better part of a day before he could have a private audience with Jane. At first, she was stuck in yet another long and tedious "tutoring session" set up by his brother. Jane had complained to Thor on numerous occasions what a waste of time those sessions were and Thor had sympathized with her distress. And while he disapproved of Loki's methods, Thor understood why he had carefully worked at distracting the scientists. Restricting access to the Bifrost was a strategic action on Loki's part to consolidate power for Asgard. Truth be told, although Thor hated deception in any form, he had to admit, he might have employed similar tactics to keep unwelcome visitors from other realms from showing up in Asgard.

After her tutoring session, Thor knew that Jane and FitzSimmons usually spent several hours prowling around the various libraries of the palace or grilling Heimdall, trying to discover information on their own. And while he appreciated their inventiveness and ingenuity, he feared that one day they'd be caught and his brother's hospitality would be put to the test. Loki was paranoid about the possibility of traitors in his midst and Thor was concerned of how his brother might react if he found out about the scientists' extra-curricular activities.

He finally tracked down Jane in a small scientific library that was rarely used in the west wing of the palace. He remembered how ecstatic she had been when she had found it, telling Thor about all of the amazing innovations she had discovered in the pages of the various books. He didn't have the heart to tell her that the reason that the library was so little used was the fact that it housed all of the antiquated and out of date books dealing with ancient scientific discoveries.

"Thor!" she shouted brightly as she saw him, setting down the book that she was holding and rushing to his arms.

He held her tightly, lifting her up a bit, delighting in the giggles that she erupted in. He loved the way that she could be so hard and serious when it came to the pursuit of scientific knowledge and yet so soft and loving when it came to him.

He bent down and tasted her lips, reveling in the moment, enjoying the moment of calm and peace that settled over him when they were in each other's arms. His life seemed to be full of strife and conflict, yet with Jane, all of that seemed to be so very far away.

"You're back," she said, laying her head on his chest.

He folded his arms over her, never wanting to let go. "I am back. For now," he said simply, drinking in the moment of being so close to her.

"How are things? In the other realms?" she asked, looking up at him.

"Chaotic. At first, the marauders attacked since we did not possess the means to travel to other realms. However, now they attack because of the rumors swirling about, rumors that Loki is challenged on Asgard and that civil war is brewing. They hope to take advantage of Loki being distracted by internal strife. Were it not for Volstagg and Fandral, Alfheim would have been overrun by them. They fought valiantly," he said.

"I'm sure you did your part," she said.

"I assisted," he said modestly.

"Did you get to see Sif and Hogun in the training rooms? They're back," Jane said excitedly.

"Yes, they are," Thor said and his face fell.

"What? What happened?' she asked.

Thor blew out a long breath. "I spoke to the both of them. They urged me to try to become king of Asgard. Much like Fandral did on the first day we arrived, they argued that it was the only way to save Asgard. I do not know what to do, Jane. I've already abandoned Asgard once, but that was when I believed that my father was still on the throne. If Asgard will truly be plunged into civil war between Loki and my cousin if I leave, then perhaps I should try to reclaim the crown."

"Really?" Jane asked skeptically.

"And yet, on the other hand, I would not want to betray Loki like that. For all of his protestations to the contrary, he is my brother. And I would support him in this," Thor said.

Jane threw up her hands. "I don't know what to say. I can see why you're so confused."

"My father always talked over all of his major decisions with my mother. Not many knew how often he sought her counsel in private. But, I have learned that having another perspective can be invaluable. How would you feel then? Being queen of Asgard, ruling here with me?" he asked, taking her hands in his.

"Queen?" she asked, head cocked to the side.

"Well, of course. Once we are wed, we would jointly rule. That is the tradition on Asgard."

"Thor, honey, um . . . you've never actually asked me to marry you," Jane pointed out.

Thor's eyes grew wide. "Oh . . . I had just assumed. If that is not your desire, . . ." and he let go of her hands and took a step back. He felt a fool. He had thought that they would soon be wed, but he realized now that they had never specifically spoke of it.

Jane stepped towards him, placing a hand on his chest. "No . . . no . . . no. That's my desire. That's definitely my desire. But a woman likes to be asked, you know," she said.

Thor colored, realizing his mistake. "Of course. I am so sorry," he said, taking her hand. "Jane, will you do be the very great honor of becoming my wife?"

"Yes," she said, tugging him towards her for a kiss. For a few moments, the world and its problems seemed to fade away as they held each other.

Finally, Jane broke away, taking a small step back to seperate them. "Now about Asgard . . . do you really want to rule here? Or do you just want what's best for Asgard?"

"The truth is . . . I do not desire the crown. I would rather Loki have it and all of its responsibilities. I feel as though I can do more good on Midgard than heading up a ministry meeting on grain supplies on Asgard."

Jane stifled a laugh. "Alright. Then it seems that the best thing you can do is shore up Loki's position the best you can before we leave."

"You are right. I will speak to both Sif, Hogun, and Fandral and tell them of my decision. For all his faults, I do believe that Loki can be a great ruler of Asgard. I will need to convince them of this."

Jane smiled. "Good luck. I feel like it's going to be a hard sell."

Thor shrugged. "I can be very convincing if I need be."

Both Jane and Thor were unaware of a shimmering green light in the corner of the library. Loki was not usually in the habit of spying on Thor and his woman, but when the guards stationed at the training rooms had informed him of his brother having a private meeting with Sif and Hogun, Loki had feared the worst. _Of course, they would try to betray me at the first chance they had_, he thought bitterly. Loki was surprised at Thor's choice to support him rather than attempt to wrest the crown from him, but secretly grateful for his brother's decision.

Loki left the library, no longer wanting to bear witness to Thor's conversation with Jane. He'd need to deal with Hogun, Sif, and Fandral soon enough. At least he no longer needed to worry about his brother. Loki wondered how much of Thor's decision was due to his brother's love for the Midgardian woman. Loki knew firsthand the great influence love could have on one's choices. His own obsession with Darcy had turned his life upside down.


	58. The Gift Ch 27

**Ch. 27**

Darcy's night was full of tears and self-pity. Just when she thought she was done, another bout would overtake her and she'd dissolve into a puddle, clutching onto her pillow, still damp from an earlier sobbing session. She tried to pinpoint some sort of clue, some indication that Loki had been pining after Sif the whole time, and yet she could find none. Whenever he did speak of her, it was always in an irritated and dismissive tone. Darcy never would have guessed that he felt any affection towards Sif.

She skipped dinner, asking for a tray in her room, but the next morning, Darcy forced herself to get up and face the day. She took a quick bath, drying her long hair as best she could with the towel, missing her hair dryer at home. She chose to wear the outfit that she wore upon arriving on Asgard, a pair of jeans and an oversized tan sweater. All of her fine Asgardian dresses in different shades of green reminded her of Loki and she couldn't bear to wear them. She looked at herself in the mirror and her lack of sleep was evident from the dark bags under her eyes and the deathly pallor of her skin. She gathered her hair into a messy ponytail, not bothering to brush it and steeled herself for the day ahead.

She went down to the main dining room, secure in the knowledge that she wouldn't meet Loki there since he always had breakfast in his room. She winced when she entered the room and saw everyone crowded around the large table, smiling and eating their meals. Since when did everyone get coupled up?

Coulson and May were laughing softly together, her hand on his shoulder. Leo had his hand on Jemma's knee. Grant had his arm draped across the back of Skye's chair. And Jane was rushing towards her, a huge grin on her face, holding Thor's hand.

"Oh, Darcy! I have to tell you the good news!" Jane said excitedly, practically attacking her with a fierce hug.

"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa, Sparky! Settle down! What's the news?" Darcy said, trying to mask her own sadness with a veneer of bravado and sarcasm.

"We're getting married!" Jane practically shouted.

"That's great news!" Coulson said.

"Yeah, great," Darcy said, putting on false smile in a vain attempt to support her friend.

"I know!" Jane said enthusiastically. "Wait. What are you wearing?"

"Uh . . . I don't know. I just wanted to be comfortable," Darcy said quietly.

"Are you alright?" Jane asked, her hand on Darcy's arm.

"Peachy, with a side of keen," Darcy lied, not wanted to rain on her friend's parade.

"Wait. Loki let you keep your clothes?" Coulson asked in a pitiful tone, absentmindedly tugging on his brown leather vest.

"Yeah. Of course. Don't you know where your suit is?" Darcy asked.

"Haven't the faintest. Do you think you could ask Loki if I could get my suit back?" Coulson asked hopefully.

"Uh . . . sure," Darcy said as she joined them at the table, although she was no mood to ask for favors from Loki.

"I don't know. I kind of like your new look," May purred, stroking the leather sleeve of Coulson's tunic.

"I know. But I kind of feel naked without my suit," Coulson confessed.

"Oh, but that's what I like," she said saucily, giving him a wink.

"On second thought, don't worry about the suit," Coulson said to Darcy, while licking his lips and staring at May.

"Are you alright? You look like . . .," Skye began, wincing when she saw Darcy.

"Just some nightmares," Darcy lied, giving Skye a bright smile. "How are you feeling? Less than three months to go."

"Like a house. I swear, everything is swollen and my back is killing me. Still, I'm glad we got a chance to get away yesterday. I had fun," Skye said.

"Me too," Darcy said, although their shopping trip seemed like a million years ago instead of just the day before.

Darcy began to eat breakfast, glad that she wouldn't be expected to talk with her mouth crammed with food. She stuffed herself, eating the sweetened porridge and light green berries, the honeyed pastries, the fried sausages. She drank four cups of the sickly sweet juice just to avoid talking. She let the conversations swirl and eddy around her, a lone spot of misery among the happy, adoring couples. By the end, she felt sick to her stomach and contemplated scurrying back to her room to sleep the day away.

Just as she was about to excuse herself to spend the rest of the day hiding in her room, a guard approached her.

"Lady Darcy?"

Darcy rolled her eyes, trying to keep from laughing . At the moment, she hardly felt like a lady. "Yeah, that's me."

He sketched a quick bow. "The king has requested your presence in the council chambers. There will be a meeting momentarily with the minister of education and you are to attend."

Darcy grimaced at the guard's formal tone. She contemplated having the guard tell Loki she was sick, but the thought of him sending healers to her room made her change her mind. "Fine," she said curtly, faking a quick smile at the rest of the group and following the guard out of the room.

Coulson caught up with her in the hall, grabbing her elbow to stop her.

"Okay, I was totally lying back there. Please, please get me my suit back," he pled.

Darcy shook her head to keep herself from laughing. "I'll see what I can do."

000000

Vestri, the minister of education, was at least two thousand years old and he had held his position for the last five hundred years. As such, changes, especially the radical changes in education that Loki had proposed and pushed for as king, were unwelcome to say the least. While Loki had been reasonable at first in trying to convince Vestri of the error of his ways, in the end, he had needed to simply bulldoze over the man and issue a royal edict to implement the changes.

When Darcy entered the room, she saw Loki, his face turning red in frustration as he argued with the older man.

"These changes will not be overturned, Vestri," Loki ground out.

"Your . . . Majesty, the extension of education to all Asgardians is costly and I fear, foolhardy," Vestri snapped.

"Foolhardy?" Loki retorted.

Vestri took a deep breath, obviously trying to temper his anger. "We are at the brink of war. Teaching poetry and music to the populace is a waste of resources. We should be training up warriors, not minstrels," he sneered. "Your father knew the importance of preparing for conflict."

"Well, as you can clearly see, I am not my father. I will not have Asgard focus solely on conquest. We are wasting the innate talent that many Asgardians possess simply because we give no support to those whose talents lay anywhere but the battlefield."

"Loki . . .," Vestri began.

"It is King Loki, a fact you seem to have forgotten or would you have ever addressed my father with such a tone," Loki said sharply.

Vestri colored and clenched his jaw. "No, Your Majesty. I would not."

"Very well. Given my father's respect for you, I will not have your stripped of your post. But understand me, these modifications to the general education of Asgardians will stand and if you oppose me again, I will find another to take your place," Loki snapped.

"Yes, Your Majesty," Vestri said, disdain dripping from every word.

"You may leave," Loki said and Vestri bowed low, hand over his heart, before turning and going.

Loki walked over at Darcy, giving her a small smile. "I could have used you."

She gave him a quick nod, not trusting herself to speak.

Loki's eyes narrowed as he drew near. "What is the purpose of that ridiculous get-up that you are wearing? Where are your clothes?"

"These are my clothes," she said defensively.

"Well, I suppose. But they are hardly adequate for your new position," Loki reasoned.

"And what is that position?" Darcy asked in a dull voice.

"What are you driving at?" Loki said, peering at her. There was something wrong, but he could not pinpoint what had caused such a change in Darcy. Then, he felt he figured it out. "Did Skye say something to you yesterday during your outing? Something to upset you? Does she resent the fact that you are with me?"

"No. It isn't that," Darcy said quietly. "Skye's fine with us."

"Well, then what has put you in such a foul mood?"

"I heard what you said. To Sif. About wanting her to be your queen. About you wanting to . . . .," she gulped, closing her eyes. "wanting to share her bed."

Loki rolled his eyes, shaking his head. "It was merely a jest," Loki countered.

Darcy's eyes flew open. "A jest? So if you walked in on me hitting on Fandral, you wouldn't have a problem with it? I could just pass it off as a joke?"

Loki gritted his teeth. "Why? Is that something you're likely to do?"

"No, but if I did, could you just dismiss it as a joke?"

Loki took a deep breath. "No, I suppose I wouldn't. I would be infuriated at the both of you."

"Well, there you go."

"I am sorry, Darcy. I never meant to hurt you. What you witnessed was an exchange between two old friends who circumstances have made enemies. You needn't worry about me running into Sif's arms. She'd be much more likely to slit my throat than to kiss me."

"Really?" Darcy asked, her voice full of hope, wanting to believe his words.

"Yes, my dear. I fear that one day soon she, Hogun, and Fandral will all end up in the dungeons."

"The dungeons?"

"You know how unstable things are at the moment. They tried to convince Thor to take control of the throne. Luckily, Thor declined. However, I can hardly allow such dissent within the palace walls."

"But, they're your friends."

"Once, they were. But now . . ."

"Thor's not going to let you throw his friends in the dungeons."

Loki's jaw tightened. "We shall see."

"You can't do that, Loki. You just can't."

"They conspired to have me overthrown, Darcy."

"But, think about it. If you throw them in the dungeons, Thor will have to save them. They're his friends. And then he really will oppose you."

"So what do you suggest?"

"I have a few ideas. But what about us?"

"What about us?" Loki asked, perplexed.

"I'm leaving in less than three months," Darcy said.

"Are you?" Loki asked cagily.

"Loki, why would I stay? If I truly felt that you . . .," and she paused, purposefully not saying the one word she wanted to, "that you **cared** for me, I wouldn't have freaked out after seeing you with Sif. But I did."

"You doubt my feelings for you?"

Darcy sighed. "I guess I do. I tried to guard my heart, but I still was up half the night sobbing because I thought you'd rather be with her."

"What can I do to convince you?"

Darcy looked at him, a sad expression on her face, her lower lip trembling. "If you have to ask that question, maybe there's nothing you can do."

Loki looked at Darcy and for a moment, he understood that his future hung in the balance. Go one way and he'd lose Darcy forever. Go another and they'd be together forever. He'd just need to temper his pride and follow his brother's example. He would try something entirely new. The truth.

Loki took a deep steadying breath. "Darcy Lewis of Midgard, I love you. Completely. Absolutely. Unequivocally. Forever. Please, marry me," he said slowly, staring down at her, taking her hands in his.

"Really?"

"Really and truly, my love," he said firmly.

"Oh, Loki, I love you, too. And yes! Of course, I'll marry you!" she said excitedly, jumping up to fling her arms around his neck and pepper him with kisses.

They spent several moments in each other's arms, his hands tangled in her hair, her breath sweet against his neck, until they finally parted, their eyes a bit unfocused, their breath a bit ragged.

"We'll have to have a double wedding," Darcy said firmly, smiling up at Loki.

"A double wedding?" he asked.

"Well, Jane and Thor are getting married and Jane's like my best friend. And Skye could be my matron of honor. Oh, it'll be great," Darcy said enthusiastically.

"Oh, I don't think . . ." Loki began, his eyes widening at the prospect of getting married at the same time as his adoptive brother.

"It'll be wonderful. Oh, I can't wait to tell Jane!" Darcy exclaimed.

Loki was about to object, but when he saw the joy on Darcy's face, he knew that he was going to capitulate. He gave a small sigh. A double wedding indeed. _At least it might distract everyone from this whole civil war mess_, he thought. Inviting all of the reigning heads of state from the Nine Realms might just be a way to consolidate his power and bolster his position even more. A double wedding would be seen as the ultimate sign of reconciliation between the two brothers and assure everyone that Thor had given Loki his full support. It was actually a brilliant political strategy.

"Oh, and Coulson wants his suit back," Darcy stated.

Loki couldn't help but grin. Of course, Coulson and his suit. Loki had delighted in forcing the man to wear Asgardian clothes.

"I had it burned," Loki admitted.

"You didn't!" Darcy screeched, punching him lightly on the arm.

"Seemed the thing to do," he said mischievously. "It was just a bit of fun."

"Well, then have Heimdall get him another one," Darcy insisted.

Loki sighed once again. He could see now that he wasn't going to win another argument for the next few thousand years. "As you wish, my dear."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note<strong>- Today marks my one year anniversary for posting stories on this site and with this chapter I will have posted over 400,000 words during that year, enough for 4 or 5 novels. I have a big favor to ask to celebrate this anniversary. If you've enjoyed this or any other story of mine that I've written, can you let me know in a review? Even if you don't normally review a story, just leaving a "I like your stories" as a guest would mean the world to me. Your kind words have been the encouragement I've needed to write so much over this past year and I truly thank you from the bottom of my heart.


	59. The Gift Ch 28

**Ch. 28**

"A double wedding? Really? You've got to be kidding," Coulson groused the next day in the training rooms. The gossip had swirled around the palace all day and before long, everyone knew.

Sif grimaced. "I know. Ridiculous, is it not? Loki's madness seems to have no end."

He shook his head. "I knew that he and Darcy were close, but I never thought . . .," and Coulson shuddered at the thought of poor Darcy shackled in marriage to that madman.

"They wish to be wed before you leave, so they only have a few months to plan it," Hogun said, grimacing slightly before turning away to bark orders at the new recruits milling around the training rooms.

"Well, I say, live and let live," May added.

"Really?" Coulson asked. "Really?" he repeated, staring at May.

"Look, I'm definitely not a fan of Loki's, but if we're stuck with him ruling Asgard, having Darcy as his wife may be the best thing for us," she replied.

"How so?"

"Being married to someone from Earth will make it a lot less likely he'll attack Earth again. You've seen him with Darcy. He follows her around like a puppy. She's got him wrapped around her finger. He won't be bothering us any time soon," May assured him.

Coulson shrugged his shoulders. "I guess so."

"I know so," May said sagely. "We'll be home before you know it."

"And I'll get my suits," Coulson said, tugging on his tunic in distaste.

"And you'll get your suits," May said indulgently, placing a hand on his arm and giving him a squeeze.

"You really seem to miss Midgard," Sif observed.

"It's home. I mean, Asgard's great, but . . . .," Coulson gave her a small smile.

"From what I've heard of it, it's wonderful. I haven't been there in centuries. But the opportunities for female warriors like Agent May are quite impressive. I have had to fight for centuries to be recognized as an equal in the eyes of Asgardian society. To this day, my comrades and I still referred to 'The Warriors Three and Lady Sif', when it should simply be 'The Warriors Four'. To be called a woman is still equated with being called a coward on Asgard. Even Thor, as progressive as he seems to be, nearly caused us all to perish on Jotunheim after he flew into a rage when Laufey insulted him by being called a 'princess'," Sif explained, a tinge of bitterness in her voice.

"I won't lie to you. I have had to fight for recognition myself. Earth's not perfect that way, not by a longshot," May confessed.

"But, we'd love to have you come and see us," Coulson said brightly. "Someone with your skills would be an amazing asset for our team."

"Perhaps," Sif said wistfully. "For now, my duties and responsibilities . . . my loyalties lie on Asgard."

"Well, it's an open invitation. We'd love to have you visit," Coulson said.

"It would be my genuine pleasure, Son of Coul," Sif said with a smile. "Now, where is Prince Grant?"

Coulson bit the inside of his lip to keep from laughing, finding Ward's Asgardian moniker hilarious. He didn't dare look over at May, because then he really would lose it. "I don't know. He hasn't shown up today. I know Skye had an appointment with the healers this morning. Maybe he's still with them?"

Sif nodded. "Well, I suppose you must be right. Shall we begin?" She gestures to the dozen of recruits in front of them, all in rigid lines after Hogun had gruffly ordered them to attention.

Coulson sighed. Yet another day working for Loki. He really couldn't wait to go home.

000000

Coulson wasn't the only one eager to return to Earth.

As Grant left the healing rooms that morning, he was mentally calculating how much longer he had to put up with living on Asgard. With only a few more months to go, it still felt like way too long.

He grimaced as he looked down the long hall and saw his father-in-law striding towards him. Loki had already spotted him, so there was no escaping the inevitable stilted small talk.

Loki's smile widened as he approached Grant. "So, how does my daughter fare?"

"She's good. The baby looks fine," Grant said.

"And you?"

Grant gritted his teeth and forced himself to smile. "I'm fine, Loki."

"Now, we are family. You could call me Father," Loki suggested.

"If you knew my old man, you really wouldn't want me to call you Dad," Grant said with narrowed eyes.

"Yes, well, Skye did mention that there was some tension between the two of you. I can understand. I have had my share of strife with my own father."

"You killed him," Grant said.

"Well . . . yes," Loki admitted. "In my defense, he was attempting to murder Odin in his sleep."

"And you set him up for that."

"He really shouldn't have abandoned me as a baby. Turnabout is fair play, is it not?" Loki retorted.

"And didn't you put Odin in a coma?"

"He needed the rest," Loki replied smoothly.

Grant rolled his eyes. Loki had a justification for everything. "I should get going," he said curtly.

"How is the training going?"

Grant sighed. It seemed he'd never get away from this conversation. "Fine. I really should get back to it."

Loki placed a hand on Grant's shoulder to stay him. "I know it must be difficult for you. Given how fragile Midgardians are."

Grant clenched his hands into fists. "Fragile?"

"So very breakable. It's such a pity . . .," Loki began and tutted softly under his breath.

"What's a pity?" Grant bit out.

"Well . . . I don't like to mention it . . . but there is a way for a Midgardian to become stronger. As strong as an Asgardian, in fact."

"How?" Grant asked suspiciously.

"Lady Idunn's apples. They grant mortals the strength and longevity of an Asgardian," Loki explained.

"Really?" Grant hated to admit it, but it sounded tempting.

"Yes . . . . I once offered it to Skye, but she refused."

"Oh," Grant said flatly. Of course, Skye would refuse.

"Which is such a shame, really. If the both of you ingested the apples, you'd be so strong, Grant. Nearly invincible. You'd be able to watch over her. No one could ever hurt her again. You could protect your family. Isn't that what every father wants to do?" Loki reasoned, staring at Grant. "If you asked her, I'm sure she would say no, but there is another option."

"What?"

"Well . . . if you secretly gave her just a little every day, by the time the baby is born, the magic would take hold." Loki produced two gleaming red apples from his leather overcoat. "Shave off just a bit of the apple each day into her morning meal and by the time the entire apple is eaten, she will become as strong as an Asgardian. And of course, you would do the same."

Grant reached out his hands to touch the apples, but Loki pulled them back abruptly. "This is twinned magic. These two apples are intertwined. You both must finish your apples for the magic to come to fruition. Even one morsel left and the spell will fail. Do you understand me, Grant?"

Grant took a deep breath, staring at the apples in Loki's hands. Loki's words were worming themselves into his brain, the temptation so strong he could barely think.

Strength.

Power.

Invincibility.

Grant gave Loki a vicious smile as he snatched the apples from his father-in-law's grasp and took a huge bite out of one of them.

"I understand."

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><p><strong>Author's Note<strong>- Over 500 reviews! Oh. My. Goodness! You are the best ever! Thank you for every single one of them!


	60. The Gift Ch 29

**Ch. 29 **

Loki grinned to himself as he went to track down Thor. Manipulating Grant had been far easier than he had anticipated. Loki knew that he'd never be able to convince Skye to eat one of Lady Idun's apples, so using Grant to do it for him was a stroke of genius on his part. Now, his family would be secure.

The truth was, the thought of losing Skye in a few decades sickened Loki. He'd consulted with the healers on several occasions and they had confirmed his worst fears. Skye would not live past one hundred years. Coupled with the fact that she engaged in such a dangerous profession, it would likely be a lot less than that. Loki had only found out that he had a daughter less than two years ago. The idea that she might be permanently ripped from his life in only a few years caused him no little amount of anguish.

Getting Grant to do his dirty work wasn't Loki's first choice, but it seemed the most practical. Given Grant's obvious hatred at being weaker than the Asgardians he routinely trained, it was any easier sell than even Loki thought it would be. He wondered if Grant's almost pathological desire for strength was connected to his tumultuous childhood.

Although Skye didn't tell Loki any specifics about Grant's earlier upbringing, even the vague comments she made chilled Loki to the core. As angry as Loki had been at Odin for his lies and deception about his true parentage, even Loki had to admit that it came nowhere near the level of abuse that it seemed that Grant had suffered under. Loki did feel a twinge of guilt for using that abuse to his own advantage, but he rationalized that the ends justified the means. By the time he became a grandfather, both his daughter and son-in-law would have extended their lives by five thousand years and that goal made any distasteful shortcuts more palatable in Loki's mind.

000000

Loki finally found Thor in one of antiquated libraries. He and Jane were staring intently at a worn book.

"I would have thought your head would be filled with wedding details, not buried in ancient tomes," Loki said to Jane.

"Ancient?" Jane asked, her brows knit.

Loki looked over to Thor, who was staring at him and vigorously shaking his head no. For a moment, Loki wanted to press on and cause a bit of mischief between Thor and Jane, but he resisted. With Darcy's close ties with Jane and the need to maintain a good relationship with Thor, starting an argument between the two of them was hardly advantageous.

"Well, isn't all knowledge ancient? Do we not seek wisdom from the stars that bring us light, but have long since died?" Loki said, scrambling to justify his earlier swipe.

Jane gave him an odd look and shrugged. "I guess so. You know, you're right. I promised Darcy I'd meet her down at the kitchens to go over the menu for the feast."

"Excellent idea. I know Darcy would appreciate the help," Loki said with a smile.

"I'll see you at dinner," Jane said, giving Thor a quick kiss good-bye.

"That you will, my love," Thor said, holding her tightly.

Loki did his best to not to roll his eyes.

Once Jane had left, Loki turned to his brother with a smile. "A double wedding."

"Aye. I was surprised that you agreed to it," Thor remarked.

"Why wouldn't I? Jane and Darcy are close friends. You and I are . . . brothers," Loki said, although that last word cost him dearly to say aloud.

Thor gave him a wide grin, clapping him heartily on the back. "I knew you would come around."

"Yes. And since we are . . . brothers, there is something I must tell you."

Thor regarded him grimly, not liking his brother's tone. "What is it?"

"It has come to my attention that you have been approached by Sif and the Warriors Three to oppose me and take the crown."

Thor's eyes widened. "How . . ."

Loki held up a hand. "There's no use in denying it."

Thor pressed his lips together. "Volstagg never said a word."

"I didn't think he would. For all his faults, he is unswervingly loyal to his family. He would never do anything to jeopardize them."

"Loki . . . I would never . . ."

Loki held up his hand once again to cut him off. "I know that you have decided to side with me. I also know that you have chosen to spend the rest of your time on Asgard bolstering my position."

"You are my brother," he said gravely, staring Loki in the eyes.

"I know." Loki sighed. "The truth is I need your support now more than ever. I want you to follow me down to the dungeons. There is something I need you to understand."

000000

Thor hadn't been to the dungeons since the he returned to Asgard, preferring to have the palace guards escort any marauders he captured to their cells. He was surprised at how crowded the cells were, housing six or seven inmates were usually only three or four would be assigned. However, the conditions were clean and spotless and the prisoners looked well-fed and well-cared for, if a bit surly.

"We're in the process of relocating the dungeons," Loki explained. "I have plans to build a prison beyond the city gates."

"Relocating?" Thor asked.

"Well, it seems foolish to house dozens of hardened criminals below the palace. Remember what happened when they got loose? We can hardly afford a repeat of such an event. I will not allow my family to be put in harm's way," Loki said harshly.

Thor looked at his brother, seeing his eyes grow moist. They were both thinking about their mother, dead at the hands of prisoner who had infiltrated the dungeons.

"It is a wise decision," Thor said.

Loki gave him a quick nod. "There is, however, one prisoner who will remain here, close by."

Loki led the way to a cell that held a single inmate. Thor stared at the man, trying to place him. He looked shaggy and unkempt and he lay on his bunk, curled in a ball, rocking himself back and forth.

"Who is he?" Thor asked.

"Why the norn that we captured. The one that had my daughter shot," Loki explained.

Thor's eyes flew open at that. The pathetic shell of a man before him did not resemble the person they had caught a year ago. Thor blanched at the transformation. "What . . . happened to him?"

Loki gave him a slight smile. "He knows what his future will be. I'm afraid the torment of his coming execution is weighing on him."

"Why have you waited so long?" Thor asked. The truth was, Thor had assumed that his brother would have killed the norn immediately for his attempt on Skye's life.

"I still have use for him. Norn, tell me what would happen if Thor were to try to take the throne from me."

"Loki . . . I . . ." Thor began.

"Be still. Hear what he has to say," Loki said sternly.

Thor nodded.

The norn stretched slightly and stood up. His tunic and pants were worn and filthy; his feet were bare. He looked at them for a moment, then nodded, closing his eyes. "Horrible bloodshed, hundreds . . . no, thousands dead. Asgard splinters. The marauders come . . . feasting on the remains. The weapons vault is plundered. Chaos begins."

Thor swallowed hard. He knew that the political system on Asgard was in a precarious situation, but he had no idea how the spark of insurrection could destroy everything.

"That is why I must not allow any dissent in this matter. Do you understand, Thor? Do you see? Sif, Hogun, Fandral . . . they are putting the entire Nine Realms at risk," Loki said earnestly.

"I'll not allow you to harm them. They are my friends," Thor said.

Loki gave him a sad smile. "I know. . . . but there is another option."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note<strong>- I'm sure you've all guessed at what that third option is!

I've posted my first story/drabble based on the current season, "Dogsitting". I hope you like it!


	61. The Gift Ch 30

**Ch. 30**

"You spoke of another option," Thor intoned gravely as he entered Loki's private meeting chambers. It had been a full day since the horrible revelations from the norn. Thor had been troubled and slept fitfully. He knew that soon, life would be irrevocably changed and it tore his heart to know that his friends would face the consequences of their actions.

"Another option for what?" Darcy asked. She was seated next to Loki. They had been going over the plans for the upcoming double wedding. Her head was swimming with a myriad of details. Royal intergalactic nuptials were a lot more complicated than she had ever imagined. They had spent three days going over the seating chart for the feast alone. Every time Darcy made a suggestion, Loki would shake his head and go into another long story about how one delegate from one realm had offended another three hundred years ago and as such, they couldn't be seated together in order to avoid a declaration of war.

Loki looked over at Darcy, his mouth set in a grim expression. She was so tender-hearted, the thought of what he must do would surely be distasteful to her. He took a deep breath. "Sif, Hogun, and Fandral have been actively trying to recruit Thor to overthrow me. Luckily, Thor's loyalties lie with me, not our mutual 'friends'." The last word dripped with venom.

"Oh, no, Loki," she said, sympathetically, putting a hand on his arm. More than once, he had spoken of the fact that his friends had betrayed him when Frigga had placed him on the throne during Thor's banishment. It had stung him more than he had cared to admit that the friends he had known for centuries had so quickly abandoned him. Of course, Darcy wasn't completely convinced by Loki's version of events, especially since he did collaborate with the Jotuns to raid the Weapons Vault in the first place. She was well aware of his tendency to edit events to make himself the victim.

"Sending them to the dungeons would benefit no one," Thor said severely.

"Perhaps. But we can hardly have them running around here, causing more havoc. You heard the norn. Civil war on Asgard would be disastrous for all involved." Loki rubbed his temples. He knew he had to tread delicately. If Thor seriously opposed him in his decision to deal with his former friends, Loki wasn't entirely sure that he'd be successful without his adoptive brother's support.

"What other option did you consider?" Thor asked.

"Banishment. I spoke with some representatives from Muspelheim . . . " he began.

"Isn't that fire realm?" Darcy asked. "That sounds horrible."

"Banishment is not supposed to be a vacation, my dear Darcy," Loki said tightly. "There are portions of it that are somewhat habitable," he said dismissively.

"Loki," Thor said, his voice low. "You cannot be serious."

"It's either that or the dungeons. Perhaps you'd prefer execution?" Loki asked acidly.

"I have an idea," Darcy said.

"My dear, I know that you are trying to help," Loki began, but Darcy cut him off.

"When we get married, I'm going to be queen of this realm, right?"

Loki reluctantly nodded, already knowing where her argument was going.

"So, I'll have equal say in the running of the kingdom, correct?" Darcy pressed.

"My dear . . .," Loki said.

Darcy held up a hand. "No 'my dear's. Yes or no?"

Loki gritted his teeth. "Yes. Of course, you will have equal say."

"Then, listen to my idea," she said, her eyes boring into his.

Loki shrugged his shoulders. "Very well."

000000

The next morning, Coulson and his entire team was crowded into Loki's private meeting room, along with Jane, Darcy, Thor, Fandral, Sif, Hogun, and Volstagg.

Loki waited until everyone was seated around a large table before he stood at the head, hands clasped behind his back. "It has come to my attention that some of my oldest 'friends' have been spreading sedition. Before we begin, I assure you that Thor did not betray your confidence. However, I cannot allow this to continue." He looked pointedly at the Warriors Three and Sif.

"I never . . .," Volstagg began, his ruddy face growing redder by the moment.

Loki held up a hand. "I know that despite our differences, you have been mindful of your family and your allegiance to Asgard and have not promoted these traitorous actions. As such, you will be allowed to remain both on Asgard and in your current position."

Volstagg visibly calmed, letting out a long breath of relief.

"Sif, Fandral, and Hogun, your choice is this. The dungeons or banishment," Loki said.

The three of them tensed, their eyes darting over to Thor. He gave them a pained look. "I am truly sorry, my dear friends. This is not the fate I would have for you, but I see no other way."

"When you were banished to Midgard, we came to rescue you," Sif ground out through clenched teeth, her eyes narrowed in anger.

"I know, dear Sif. But Asgard will not stand if it is divided against itself," Thor said sadly.

"Banished to where exactly?" Fandral asked suspiciously.

"I suggested Muspelheim, but Darcy intervened on your behalf. She suggested Midgard," Loki said.

"Earth? You're sending them to Earth?" Coulson asked.

"Actually Darcy thought they would be valuable members of your team," Loki admitted.

"My family is on Vanaheim," Hogun said, his lips pressed together in a grim expression.

"Which is why, if you so choose, you may remain there," Loki said, almost gently.

Hogun gave a curt nod. "Vanaheim is my choice."

Sif began to nod thoughtfully. "Son of Coul, would we be welcome to join you in your quest to protect the inhabitants of Midgard?"

Coulson broke out in a wide grin. "Hell yes."

"Then, I am agreed," Sif said.

Loki nodded. "You and Fandral will leave with Coulson's team when they depart Asgard, then. Hogun, you may wait until then to leave for Vanaheim."

Fandral began to smile. "My experience with Midgardian maidens has proved most pleasurable. I can think of no objection."

"I have to introduce Fandral to Maria Hill," Coulson said to May in a low voice, his eyes twinkling.

"She'll eat him alive," May observed. Then after a pause, she added. "Do it."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes<strong>- I'm back! For those of you following me on tumblr or who've checked out my profile page, you already know that I spent the month of November doing NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). In 22 days, I wrote 50,030 words of original fiction, my first try at writing with all of my own characters and I had a blast!

For my SkyeWard shippers, you can check out my newest SkyeWard fic "SkyeWard's First Christmas".

I adore you all. I hope you are all well!


	62. The Gift Ch 31

**Ch. 31**

Planning a royal wedding in only a few months' time put an incredible strain on Darcy. Jane had vaguely agreed to everything she had suggested and Thor just smiled and nodded. It was up to Darcy to negotiate everything with Loki.

The time constraint was Skye's pregnancy. Loki was adamant that he wanted his daughter at his wedding and Skye was just as adamant that she was returning to Earth once the baby was born. So Darcy and Loki had to scramble to get everything in place in time.

And, of course, being the wedding of two royal brothers meant that they had to pull out all the stops. There were over a thousand invited guests as well as their own personal servants and retinues. The entire palace would be filled to the brim and several of the surrounding buildings were going to be repurposed as temporary housing for the guests. It was expected that there would be at least a week of feasting and merriment afterwards. Darcy was feeling more than a little overwhelmed by the whole process. The largest event she had ever planned was a baby shower for a handful of friends.

Darcy was well aware of the strategic value of their wedding. By attending their wedding and publicly supporting Loki and Darcy as the King and Queen of Asgard, the reigning heads of the other realms were also throwing their weight behind Loki if his cousin should ever try to openly oppose him.

Loki had offered to have Darcy's family transported to Asgard for the ceremony, but she had demurred. It was hard enough to balance the delicate temperaments of all of the various heads of state. The last thing she needed to worry about was her own family. As a compromise, Loki had suggested that they have a second ceremony on Earth with Darcy's family. She wondered how he'd get along with her folks and how they'd take the news that she had married a war criminal/king.

000000

Jane felt as though her head was going to split in two as it began to pound the moment she awoke.

Here it was the morning of her wedding and she had never been so hungover in her whole life.

It had all started innocently enough.

Sif had insisted that it was an Asgardian tradition that all the women in a wedding party feast and drink the night before the event, a type of Asgardian bachelorette party. Considering how many centuries Asgardian were married for, they took their bachelorette parties seriously.

Jane, Darcy, Sif, Jemma, May, and Skye all descended on a small tavern near the palace. Loki sent a contingent of guards with them, despite Sif and May both declaring that they were unnecessary. Loki had insisted, pointing out that it would be in his cousin's best interest to delay the wedding and that making off with Loki's bride-to-be was a viable political option. Jane was glad that they were there, since both she and Jemma needed to be physically carried back to the palace.

Jane could get tipsy on half a beer, so she was wary of Asgardian ale. However, a few hours into the carousing she realized that the tankard she was discreetly sipping from was being refilled whenever her back was turned and that she must have drunk more than her fair share by the time she decided to stand on the table and perform a truly horrible rendition of Britney Spears' "Toxic". Jemma was a similar lightweight and began slurring her words within the first hour.

Surprisingly, the ale had little effect on Darcy, who just shrugged and mouthed the words "dorm life" when Jane questioned her. Since she was pregnant, Skye just watched the others with an amused half-grin while sipping a glass of juice, doing her best not laugh in their faces. As expected, both Sif and May seemed largely immune to the strong drink, although May's smile was a bit wider than usual.

After refusing breakfast the next morning, Jane shuffled slowly to the healers, wishing she had done so the night before like Jemma. The biochemist had urged her to go before she went to bed, but Jane had refused. She had been sure that she'd be fine in the morning, which had been been a devastating miscalculation on her part.

Once she entered the healing rooms, an assistant took one look at her and clucked his tongue disapprovingly. "How much did you drink?"

"I'm not sure. Maybe half a tankard? They kept refilling it," she said weakly, blinking from the bright lights.

"Hmmm. Alright. Lie down and hold these healing stones."

Jane complied, lying down on a small bed, trying to relax. Her body began to feel warm all over and soon her brain felt sharper, clearer. Her nausea subsided and she began to feel much better.

Her mind went to her upcoming nuptials, and she bit her lower lip in nervous excitement. She had felt guilty leaving all of the details to Darcy, but she had been focused with Fitzsimmons in trying to recreate a viable working bifrost device. She was confident that that within a few weeks of returning to Earth they would be able to replicate the technology.

Especially if Thor was able to sweet-talk a large arc reactor from Stark.

The only cloud on the horizon was that Eric wasn't there to share her special day. He was like a father to her and not having him at her wedding gnawed at Jane. However, given his elation when he thought Loki was dead, Jane didn't think he'd be able to handle the double wedding.

A few minutes later, the assistant returned to her bedside. "All better?" he asked in a bright, cheery tone.

Jane took a deep breath as she sat up. "Yes. Thanks."

"You are more than welcome. Your friend was in earlier this morning."

"Jemma?"

"No. Dr. Simmons was in last night. Agent May."

Jane grinned a bit. She supposed that May wasn't so invincible after all.

"And Darcy?"

He shook his head. "Not that I know of."

Jane chuckled. "Thanks again. I'd better go get ready for the big day."

"Yes. Congratulations," the assistant said warmly before walking out of the room to attend another patient.

Jane stood, feeling like her old self, her mouth quirking up into a smile. She'd have to convince Thor to snag a few healing stones before they went home.

Now, it was time to get ready for her wedding.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note<strong>- Happy Holidays! I most likely won't get a chance to update again until the new year, but I just wanted to take a moment and thank each and every one of you for your encouragement and uplifting words during 2014. I had intended for this story originally to be only five chapters long, but your kind words spurred me on to write more and more! Thank you so very much!


	63. The Gift Ch 32

**Ch. 32**

Bachelor parties on Asgard were normally raucous celebrations. There were normally held in taverns where ballads were sung of heroic deeds, stories were told of epic adventures, mead was drunk by the barrel, and if one of the members of the wedding party (usually Fandral) slipped off to a quiet corner to sweet-talk a comely serving maid, well . . . everyone just pretended not to notice. (Let's be honest; it was always Fandral.)

However, Thor and Loki's bachelor party was hardly festive.

In fact, it was positively maudlin.

Loki refused to come. He cited a palace full of political allies and enemies for his reason for forgoing the celebration, but Thor could practically smell the lie flowing from his brothers' lips. Despite Thor's best efforts, Loki was adamant about staying at the palace.

Heimdall was still at his post at the Bifrost. Considering the dicey political nature of the upcoming marriage, Loki wanted him watching intently to avert any crisis that could erupt.

Hogun, Fandral, and Volstagg were morose during the celebration, upset that this would be one of the last nights the Warriors Three would ever be together. Hogun was never one for merriment, but he was known to recount his fair share of tales of bravery in solidarity with his fellow compatriots. Instead, on that night, he simply sat in a corner, his eyes half-closed as he drank with unheard of abandon. Each bawdy song of valor that Volstagg began ended in weeping as he declared that the Warriors Three were no more. And, most disturbing of all, Fandral completely ignored both of the lovely female servants who were vying for attention as they brought one tankard after another to the group of men.

Coulson and Grant just sat there uncomfortably, barely sipping the ale that Thor had warned them was far too strong for "delicate Midgardian constitutions". Grant had to admit that he was glad that Loki had decided to avoid the party. Considering how uncomfortable Loki made their wedding reception, Grant couldn't imagine enjoying a bachelor party with him in attendance. Coulson cast a critical eye towards Fandral, wondering how he'd integrate into their team once they returned to Earth. He hoped introducing him to Agent Maria Hill might perk him up a bit.

And, wedged in a corner next to an increasingly inebriated Hogun, sat Leo. He didn't want to be there. If he were honest, he would have greatly preferred to have gone to Jane and Darcy's hen party with Jemma. If he were really honest with himself, he'd rather just be off with Jemma. Ever since they realized their feelings for one another, they spent every free moment together. Leo drank a bit of his ale and tried to calculate exactly how long he had to stay before he could scamper off in search of her.

Finally, as the midnight hour grew closer, Thor decided to end the charade. Citing his upcoming nuptials, he faked a yawn and suggested that they all turn in for the night.

"No!" protested Volstagg.

"My friends, we've a long day ahead of us tomorrow. I suggest we retire on the earlier side," Thor said reasonably. He hoped that he'd be able to easily persuade them of the need to return to the palace. He could no longer stomach the morose ramblings of Volstagg or the stony silence of the rest of the group.

"Wait! Wait! I propose a toast," Coulson said, standing with a tankard in his hand. "To Thor, a hero of the Battle of New York. Without his bravery, our world would have been overrun. You've saved countless lives. Thank you for all that you've done for us," and with that, he lifted his mug.

"To Thor!" the rest of the group roared as each man stood in solidarity.

Coulson downed his tankard to Thor's amused expression. Then, he threw it to the ground and chuckled as it broke. "I've always wanted to do that! Another!" he cried. He had read a report from a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent who had interviewed all of the Puente Antiguo residents who had come into contact with Thor and noted how Thor had reacted to coffee. He was glad he finally got to try it out in a real Asgardian tavern.

Thor laughed, shaking his head. It was going to turn out to be a long night after all.

000000

Loki had no desire to spend a night carousing with Thor and his friends, considering that both Hogun and Fandral had actively plotted his downfall, and that he had actually killed Coulson (the fact that it didn't stick notwithstanding). Loki was sure that the only reason Volstagg didn't try to overthrow him as well was that he had close ties with his family on Asgard and didn't want to risk losing them. He barely remembered the male scientist's name. As for Grant, . . . . . well, Loki had to admit he wasn't particularly close to his son-in-law. Grant's rocky past with his own father made his relationship with Loki tricky at best. Add to that the fact that Loki had invaded Earth and they were lucky that they were somewhat civil to one another.

And Thor was . . . Thor. Even after everything they'd been through, Loki knew that Thor forgave him. He'd actually been surprisingly helpful in the weeks leading up to the weddings, giving Loki advice on different dignitaries. While Loki had always prided himself as being a consummate diplomat, he was also acutely aware that people just seemed to like Thor better. They gravitated towards his warm, friendly, open demeanor. Loki could be suave; he could be charming if need be. But he could never quite pull off "friendly".

He stretched, rubbing his eyes a bit as he looked over one more trade agreement. Most of the delegates sent to the wedding were determined to take advantage of the trip in order to finish up any pending diplomatic business. He knew he should retire, but he wanted to try and finish up just one document. He missed Darcy, although he was sure that she was enjoying herself immensely. He couldn't help but smile when he thought of her. It wasn't until he met her that he realized how much of his life had been marked by loneliness. His "friends", it turned out, were really just Thor's friends. And while he had his share of romantic liaisons over the years, he was never quite sure if they weren't just settling for second best, dallying with him when they'd rather be with Thor.

But Darcy was different. When she looked at him, it was as though he were the only person in the room. And while she was friendly with Thor, it was obvious that her attention was focused solely on Loki.

For Loki, she was an answer to a prayer he had never consciously uttered.

Briefly, he wondered if that was what Odin had with Frigga. For a moment, he felt like he understood his adoptive father like he never had before. Odin's crazed grief and lust for vengeance after Frigga's death finally seemed understandable. How would Loki react if Darcy were taken from him? He shuddered at the thought.

Loki looked down again at the document, but the swirling script and flowery prose began to give him a headache as his eyes began to water. "Enough," he said as he placed it in a pile on the large wooden desk. He stood and straightened, taking a deep breath. It was time to go to bed. Tomorrow, he and Darcy were to be wed and they would never be apart again.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note<strong>- Hi! I've missed you all! I hope you had an amazing holiday season!


	64. The Gift Ch 33

**Ch. 33**

Skye groaned as she rolled out of bed on the day of the royal wedding. She was nearly due and everything was swollen and everything felt awkward. Her bladder was the size of a walnut and she had to visit the bathroom at least once an hour, waking up several times during the night.

She looked over at Grant, sprawled across the bed, snoring softly. He got in during the early morning hours and when she had asked him how the night went, he said, "It was epic," before collapsing on the bed, without even taking off his shoes. Skye had scrambled across the bed to undo the laces of his heavy leather Asgardian boots and drop them off the side of the bed, but gave up after that, racing to the bathroom once again before she could fall asleep.

She had enjoyed the bachelorette party. It was odd to be the only one sober one in the group, although she noticed that Darcy held her liquor well. Halfway through the night, May began telling stories of her first missions with Coulson, and Skye's sides still hurt from laughing so hard.

She noticed that May and Sif got along well and she was sure that May would enjoy having another skilled operative on the team. It had felt a bit weird when Darcy had suggested that the team adopt Fandral and Sif like a bunch of stray cats, but the more Skye thought about it, the more sense it made. Jane was planning on transferring permanently to the team, which made FitzSimmons overjoyed. And, adding Thor, Fandral, and Sif to the team meant that they'd be able to handle everything and everyone that came their way.

And then there was Skye herself.

In the last six months, her skills had expanded rapidly under Loki's tutelage. She went from being able to recreate doppelgangers of Grant to creating anything her mind could think of. Loki had been consistently impressed by her impeccably rendered illusions. Once, he spent ten minutes arguing with an illusionary Thor she had created, never suspecting that it was her creation.

After that stunt, Loki implored that she stay on Asgard, but she declined. She insisted that she and Grant wanted to return to Earth to raise their daughter. She told Loki that he was welcome to visit whenever he wanted, but that they were going to live out their lives, however short, on Earth.

Skye knew that Grant was unhappy on Asgard. He tried to hide it. He'd come home every evening with stories about the new recruits or how training went and he'd put on a brave face. He'd talk excitedly about the baby, about starting their future together. But Skye was his wife and she knew he longed to be back on Earth.

She looked forward to being back on Earth, too. She truly loved Asgard and this second visit had been a lot easier than her first, but it wasn't home. She and Grant were still trying to figure out the logistics of having a baby on the Bus. She suggested taking a six month sabbatical, but Grant didn't think that was enough time. And he was adamant that he didn't want to raise his child on a S.H.I.E.L.D. vehicle.

000000

Skye got up quietly so as not to wake Grant. She shrugged on a warm robe over her dressing gown and went to the bathroom. After she was done, she pulled on a cord to summon a servant. She waited at the door, flinging it open at the first knock so as not to waken Grant.

"Good morning, Your Highness," the young maid said, bowing deeply. Skye sighed. She had given up on getting the servants to call her Skye.

"Could I have some breakfast, please? Something light? Perhaps some bread and a little juice?" Skye rubbed her belly absentmindedly. She was never really that hungry nowadays, but she knew she needed to eat.

"Yes. Right away," the young lady dipped her head respectfully and turned to go.

"Thanks," Skye said. She had gotten in the habit of having breakfast with Grant in their room. Since most of their meals were in the great hall with Loki, Darcy, Thor, Jane and the rest of their team, Grant suggested that they have breakfasts alone together as a couple.

For the last few months he had fussed over her at breakfast time, insisting that she consume every single morsel of her apple and berry porridge in the morning. She never really liked the taste of apples, but to appease him, she tried to eat it. After the first few days of choking down the vile food, she began to throw the porridge away when his back was turned. As her illusions grew more powerful, she would simply wave her hand over the bowl and it would appear as though she had eaten every bite. She had no idea why it mattered so much that she clean her plate at breakfast-time, but she wanted to please Grant and so she went along with pretending to eat it. He always seemed so happy when she showed him the "empty" bowl, so it seemed a harmless deception.

Grant roused in the bed behind her, groaning. "What is in that ale?" he moaned a bit as he sat up slowly, looking a bit green.

"Are you alright, sweetie?" Skye asked gently. "You could go to the healers. I'm sure they know how to deal with Asgardian hangovers."

"No!" he snapped, his fingers clenching the bedsheets. "I'm not some weakling!"

Skye took a deep breath. The Berserker rage still haunted Grant and combined with his tumultuous childhood, he struggled to keep temper in check. At times, Skye could see it practically bubble under the surface as he did his best to tamp it down.

"No, you're not," she said in a soothing tone. "But, there's nothing wrong with getting some help when you're not feeling well." She smiled at him. "You can't be expected to drink them under the table. You're not an Asgardian."

"Not yet," he said softly, looking down at his bare feet.

"What?" she asked, head cocked to the side.

"Nothing," he said as he stood. "I'll get washed up. Did you order breakfast already?"

"Just some for myself. Do you want me to order you something?"

"Yeah. Dry toast. A pitcher of water," he said as he started towards the bathroom. "Don't forget to order the porridge for yourself," he called over his shoulder before he left the room.

Skye rolled her eyes. She had no idea why that man was so obsessed with her breakfast.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note<strong>- Any guesses as to why Grant is so obsessed with Skye's breakfast?


	65. The Gift Ch 34

**Ch. 34**

Skye called the servant back once again and dutifully amended their breakfast order. She waited patiently while Grant was in the restroom, squirming in her overstuffed leather chair. Her back was killing her and she'd been plagued by Braxton-Hicks contractions throughout the night. According to the healers, she was still three weeks away from delivering, but the false labor pains kept happening more and more frequently.

As Grant emerged from the bathroom, his hair wet from the shower, a large towel slung around his waist, Skye sucked in a noisy breath. Despite his hangover, he looked good. More than good, actually. The sight of him there sent her pulse racing. She mentally calculated if they had enough time before the servants came back for breakfast, but shook her head. Maybe after breakfast, they could spend some "quality time" together.

"Did you order the breakfast?" Grant asked as he started to get dressed, much to Skye's disappointment.

"Yeah. It should be here in a few minutes," Skye replied.

He nodded, fiddling with his black leather tunic. "Look, I know it's a pain, but I just want you to stay healthy. For the baby."

Skye rolled her eyes. "I know. I know."

There was a soft knock at the door. Grant crossed the room and got the tray from the maid, thanking the servant. Skye grinned. She loved how thoughtful he was around all of the servants who worked at the palace. He never seemed to take them for granted.

He brought the tray around to the table next to Skye's chair, clearing away a few things to make space for her porridge and juice. He set the pitcher of cool water and his goblet to one side as well as his toast. He poured some water for himself and sat down next to Skye. "Make sure to finish the porridge," he reminded her.

"Yeah," Skye said softly. She gave him a big smile and dove her spoon into the steaming bowl, trying not to show any disgust.

She began to stir the porridge and then made a point of eating a large spoonful. Grant beamed as he took a large swig of water. Skye delicately shuddered in disgust as she choked down what was in her mouth. Then, she had an idea.

"Grant, could you please get me my lap robe? I'm freezing. I think I left it in the other room," she said, waving towards the sitting room on the other side of their enormous chamber.

"Sure. Do you want me to start a fire in the fireplace?" He wiped his mouth and began to stand.

"Yeah, I would. Thanks," Skye replied, shivering a bit for effect.

As soon as Grant's back was turned, Skye summoned her will and had the porridge appear to vanish, leaving a clean bowl in its place.

Only, she didn't count on Grant turning right back around to ask another question.

"What about . . . ?" he began, then stopped abruptly. "How did you finish your porridge so quickly? It was full a second ago."

"I . . . I was hungry."

He strode over to table, grabbing the bowl. His eyes widened as the illusion dissipated at his touch and it was full again.

"What were you trying to pull, Skye?" he snarled.

"I just . . . I don't really like it. So, I just . . . you know . . . make it look like I've eaten it all," Skye said. "Look, I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't have, but you kept making such a fuss."

Grant paled as he looked at her intently. He grabbed by the shoulders, his faces inches from hers, his eyes wild. "Tell me this is the first time you did this. Please, just tell me this was the first time."

Skye squirmed under his intent gaze, completely lost as to why Grant was so distraught. "Sweetie, I said I was sorry."

Grant let go of her, backing away, shaking his head, sorrow filling every word.

"You've ruined everything. Everything."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note<strong>- Any more guesses as to why Grant is so upset?


	66. The Gift Ch 35

**Ch. 35**

"What . . . what do you mean, that I ruined everything?" Skye asked, rearing her head back in confusion.

Grant sat down heavily on a nearby chair, his head in his hands. "Oh no . . . Loki's gonna flip when he finds out. I just . . ."

"Loki?" Skye interrupted. "Why would my dad care whether or not I eat all my breakfast?" Skye asked, fidgeting in her chair as another cramp seized her lower back. She bit her lower lip and rode out the brief wave of pain while attempting to piece together what was happening. It wasn't like apple and berry porridge was a special family recipe or anything. She couldn't see why it mattered at all.

And then, as the pain subsided, something began to buzz in the back of her brain. _Apples. Something about apples._

She remembered Darcy confessing the night before that the reason the Asgardian ale wasn't having any effect on her was because she had already had one of Lady Idunn's apples, granting her the long life and strength of an Asgardian. Loki had insisted that Darcy eat it as soon as they were engaged, fearful that something might happen to her before the wedding.

Skye also remembered Loki suggesting that she have one also, more than a year ago.

And Skye had clearly refused.

Her eyes flew open and she scrambled out of her seat as quickly as she could given her present state. "Grant . . . what did you put in that porridge?"

She hoped that she was wrong.

She prayed that she was wrong.

Because the alternative was just too horrible to contemplate.

He looked up at her, his eyes shiny, his voice breaking. "It was the only way. Don't you see? I could keep us safe. I could keep my family safe. If I were stronger, faster, lived longer, . . . we were both going to be safe."

Skye began to pant shakily as her emotions warred inside of her. "So, so what . . . you . . . you tricked me? You were going to force me to become like them! And you knew . . . you knew I wouldn't want it. But you were just going to bulldoze right over me." She felt sick to her stomach as the familiar sense of betrayal washed over her. She had gotten used to Loki trying to deceive her, always finding an excuse to justify his underhanded actions. But to have Grant, her husband do the same thing . . . well, that shook her to her core.

Grant put up hands to mollify her. The look of pain on Skye's face killed him. He had to make things right. He had to convince that it was the only way. "No . . . that's not it. You got shot. You got shot and my world ended. And then, you came back to me. I promised myself . . . I promised myself, no matter what, I was never going to lose you again. But then, I kept losing you. First, when Loki took you a year ago. And now, with your powers . . . you're so far beyond me. But, I was going to be strong. I was going to be able to protect you. Protect our daughter."

"So you did this for us?" Skye looked down, cradling her swollen belly.

Grant smiled as hope flared across his face. "Yes." Maybe, just maybe there was a way out of this. Maybe, he could make her see that he was doing it for them.

Skye shook her head, giving him a sad smile. "I know you, Grant. And as much as you try to justify this, you did this for you, too. So that you wouldn't feel weak. So that you wouldn't feel powerless. And you dragged me along with you." Her words were soft, gentle even, but somehow that made them sting that much more.

Grant winced at the truth in her words. "Loki said it was twinned magic. That we both had to eat the apples or the spell would fail," Grant admitted. "I wouldn't have done it otherwise."

"So, how was this supposed to end, Grant? Where's the happily ever after in this tale? How am I ever supposed to trust you again? You say that you don't want to lose me. How was this deception supposed to help that?"

"What are you saying?" Grant asked slowly. "Are you . . . Are you leaving me?" That what his father used to threaten. Every argument ended in an ultimatum. _Do what I say or I'm gone_.

He knew it was too good to be true. Being married to Skye. Having a baby. Starting a family together. He knew deep down in his heart that he was never meant to have a good life. He was too damaged, too broken to ever get to have the kind of life he longed for.

And now, it was over.

Skye was going to leave him. She was going to take his daughter and he was going to be left with nothing. Worse than nothing. He would be left with a piece of his heart missing, a piece of his soul torn out.

Skye stared at Grant and shook her head at the stricken look on his face. "No . . . You still don't get it. Whatever happened to you in the past, whatever pain your family put you through, I'm not like that. I don't run away when things get tough. I chose you. I still choose you. I will always choose you. Through the good and the bad. But Grant, you were the one person I could rely on. After all the times my dad lied to me, manipulated me, you were the one I could count on. You were my rock. You were my strength. It was us against the world. And now . . . I don't know how we're going to rebuild that trust. Maybe . . . maybe you could try by being honest with me."

"Honest?"

"You hate it here. You've hated every moment. And all you do is try to hide it from me. You won't let me in. You never let me in."

"I can't." Grant looked down, not able to meet her eyes.

"Why not?"

"Because if you knew the real me . . . . if you knew what my past was really like . . .," Grant shuddered, staring at his hands. The hands that he used to push his little brother down a well. The hands that he used to hit Tommy so that Christian would leave Grant alone. "Skye, it's messy and cruel and bitter and I don't ever want you see what that's like."

"So, then . . . I'll . . . I'll never get to see who you really are?" Skye nearly growled in frustration. Didn't he see that he was the one pushing her away?

Grant looked up at her, tears streaming down his face. "I'm the man who loves you. I do love you, Skye. That's always been true."

"I know you do. And I love you. But . . . that's not enough. If you can't trust me and I can't trust you . . ." Skye trailed off, not knowing what else to say.

And then, another wave of pain hit her so hard that she had to sit down with a thud.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note<strong>-Kudos for those of you that guessed about the apples!

Any guesses about what's up next?


	67. The Gift Ch 36

**Ch. 36**

Grant leapt out of his seat and rushed forward. "Skye, what is it?" Her face was contorted in pain and she was gripping the arms of her chair as though they were her only lifeline.

She had no words, gritting her teeth, trying to hold on as the pain felt like it was dragging her under. Then, slowly, the pain began to recede and she felt like she could talk again. "I think . . . I think it's time."

"For the baby?" Grant asked.

"No. The bus." Skye rolled her eyes. "Of course, the baby."

"But you're not due for another three weeks!" His mind began to race, going back to all of their sessions with the healers.

"Trying telling that to her." Skye waved at her belly.

"Okay. Okay. When was the last contraction? I mean, before this one." He remembered that they were supposed to monitor the time between each one to know how far along Skye was.

"I don't know. Fifteen, ten minutes?"

"Well, was it fifteen or ten?" Grant asked anxiously. "We need to know."

"No clocks," Skye said, gesturing to the elaborately decorated room around them.

"Let's go to the healers. Can you walk?" Grant asked.

Skye's mouth quirked into a grin. "What are you going to do? Carry me if I can't?"

"I would," Grant said firmly.

Skye felt her eyes mist over at the sentiment. "I know you would."

"Skye, I am so sorry." A wave of shame came over Grant. What had he been thinking? The truth was, he hadn't. He just focused on his goal, getting Skye to eat all of the apple to extend her life. _To make me strong_, Grant silently admitted to himself. He hadn't wanted to take the time and really think what his actions meant to Skye, what they meant to their relationship.

She nodded. "I know. Let's just get through this first. And then, . . . we'll talk."

_We'll talk. _Grant stiffened. He knew nothing good ever came of those types of talks. "Let's go."

Skye got up slowly, leaning a bit on Grant as she did.

00000

An hour later, the head healer shook her head slowly at the holographic display over Skye. The patient was lying on the examination table, a worried look on her face.

"All in all, things look good. Both mother and baby are healthy and are showing no signs of acute distress," the healer said with a small smile to both Skye and Grant.

"_But_ . . . there feels like there's a _but_ in there somewhere," Skye said, her eyes narrowing. She knew that all the healers were a bit jumpy around her. Her case was unusual and being the daughter of the reigning king made them nervous about any type of misstep. It had been slightly annoying during her earlier examinations. Now, it was downright infuriating.

Or maybe that was the gut-wrenching pain.

"However . . ." the healer began gently. "When we tried to administer a standard painkiller earlier, both your blood pressure and that of the baby went down into dangerous levels."

"What does that mean?" Grant asked. During their time in the healing rooms, he'd seen Skye go through six more contractions. They were down to about seven minutes apart and he winced when he remembered how agonizing they seemed. Seeing her in pain was more than he could handle. He'd do anything to help her.

"It means that given the differences in biology, it would be unwise to give Skye any more until we are closer to delivery," the head healer said as delicately as she could. It cost her a lot to admit that even with the advances in Asgardian medical science, treating Skye was inherently risky. The slightest misstep could mean the loss of both the mother and the baby.

"How close?" Skye asked sharply.

"When contractions are about two minutes apart?" the healer offered. She knew that by then, they would be close enough to delivery that the benefits of pain relief would outweigh any potential risks.

"And how long will that take?" Grant asked.

"She is progressing nicely. It's hard to estimate, as we have never had to treat someone who was half-Jotun and half-Midgardian. Our best estimate is that it could be five hours. It might be more."

"I'm going to miss the wedding!" Skye said, her eyes flying open. "I totally forgot. It's in four hours."

"Oh, yes," the head healer said emphatically. She was hardly surprised at that.

"Please inform Loki about his daughter," Grant said to one of the assistants that was hovering around. They hadn't wanted to bother Loki earlier, but since it looked like they were going to miss the wedding, he at least deserved a heads up. "Maybe they can postpone the wedding."

"No, they can't!" Skye shouted. "There are people from all the Realms here. It has to be today. Poor Darcy! She's been working for weeks. They did everything they could to have it before the baby came."

"We did warn the King that this was a possibility," the head healer said defensively.

"It's fine. There's nothing we can do," Grant said. It was so like Skye to be in some of the worst pain of her life and still be concerned about her father.

"Could we slow down the labor somehow? Maybe until after the wedding?" Skye asked desperately.

"Your devotion to your father is admirable, but no, there isn't. The baby is ready to come today. It would be unwise to do anything that would delay or jeopardize that," the healer said. She took a deep breath to calm her nerves. The baby was well-developed and the delivery should be a standard one, but there was a lot riding on it. The healer knew that the slightest hiccup could result in her spending the rest of her life in the dungeons. She wasn't about to let that happen. Both mother and baby were going to come out of this healthy and safe. She wasn't going to even entertain the thought of any other outcome.

"So, what can we do for the pain?" Grant asked. "Those contractions are horrible."

"And I'm afraid that they will only grow more intense and closer together as the day wears on," the head healer sighed a bit. "We did go over some breathing exercises a few months ago, do you remember them?"

"Yes," Skye said. They were helpful, but hardly as good as they had seemed in theory.

"Also, distraction can help. Focusing on something other than the pain," the healer suggested. This was the downside of delaying pain relief. Having a member of the royal family endure intense pain was not something that any healer would hope for. However, she had to focus on the goal of a safe delivery.

"I can't imagine anything that could take my mind off of this," Skye said as he pointed to her abdomen.

Grant looked down at his wife. He grimaced at the thought of what he needed to do. "I can." He looked around the room, full of healers and attendants. "Could we . . . could we get a little privacy?"

The head healer nodded. "The displays will sound if we are needed."

As the medical staff filed away, Skye looked at Grant. "So, what's going to take my mind off all of this?"

Grant gave a heavy sigh. "The truth."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note<strong>- One year!

It's been one year since I started this story, dear readers.

I remember sittting and watching Skye get shot in "Tracks" and my eyes going wide. I couldn't believe it.

During that mid-season hiatus following that episode, this story was born. And I only meant it to be a few chapters long, but your encouragement was overwhelming.

To celebrate this story's one year anniversary, I would be really, really grateful if you left me a review. Your positive, uplifting words are the reason that I keep on writing. Knowing that you are enjoying and connecting to this story has made it worth the while.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart!


	68. The Gift Ch 37

Trigger warning for mentions of past childhood abuse. Also, this backstory does deviate from canon.

**Ch. 37**

"What do you mean?" Skye asked.

"Maybe . . . maybe it'll take your mind off of all . . . this . . .," Grant said as he waved to the holographic monitor.

"The truth about what?"

Grant bit the inside of his lip. "My past. My childhood."

Skye sat up a bit straighter in bed. "I'd like that. If you . . . if you feel up to telling me."

Grant grabbed a seat and pulled it next to Skye's bed. He reached out and took ahold of her hand. "You that . . . it . . . it wasn't good."

"Alright . . ."

He gritted his teeth. "There's a reason none of my family was at the wedding."

"Grant . . . . it's okay. You can tell me anything."

"My dad. He got angry. A lot."

"Okay . . ."

Grant pushed himself to go on. "He . . . he'd yell. Throw things. And worse than that."

Skye looked at Grant with widened eyes. She could tell that each word, each syllable cost him dearly. She squeezed his hand. "Grant . . . you don't . . . you don't have to. I know how hard it is to dredge up the past. It's not as if my own childhood was all puppies and rainbows. When you met me, I was living in a van."

Grant shook his head. "No. I need to. I need to tell you. You're right. You need to know the real me." He took a deep breath, closing his eyes as the memories came flooding back. "My older brother, Christian, . . . he was bigger and stronger than I was. He'd tease me, hassle me every day. He learned it from my dad. Christian would shove me, push me. Hit me. But, worst of all, he made me go after our little brother, Tommy. I . . . I told you about the . . . the well."

"Yes," she prompted.

"That . . . that wasn't the worst of it."

"What do you mean?" Skye asked, bunching up the light blanket with her fist.

"Christian was gone one summer . . . got sent away to a summer camp. And I . . ." Grant gritted his teeth, not wanting to let the words out, not wanting to go any deeper. He took a shaky breath and forced himself to go on. "I kept on bullying Tommy, even without Christian there to force me. It made me feel strong, it made me feel powerful . . . picking on him, tormenting him."

Shame filled him as he finally said the words out loud. "One afternoon, we were home alone. I don't even remember what I was saying, what I was going after him about. We were at the top of the stairs and I got angry and I . . . I pushed him. He fell down to the landing and I . . . I froze. He started crying and screaming in pain and I remember looking at my hands, seeing what I'd done to him. I . . . called for an ambulance. Skye, I broke his arm in three places. At the hospital . . . my dad was so furious. He chewed me out and when we got home, he . . . he . . ." Grant shuddered at the memory of his father's cruelty. "The funny thing is I don't think he cared what happened to Tommy. He just didn't like the way the ER staff looked at him. How they all thought he had done it."

"Oh, Grant," Skye said.

Grant held up a hand. He couldn't stand the kindness, the pity in her voice. He didn't deserve it. "Skye . . . I could have killed Tommy. Broken his neck." He scratched the back of his neck, not looking her in the eyes. "I've always hated feeling weak, feeling powerless. If I had been stronger, maybe I could have stood up to Christian, maybe I could have stood up to my old man. Maybe I could have protected Tommy."

He took a deep breath, diving in. "You're right. I hated it here. I hated that the Asgardians are so much stronger and faster than I am. I hated always feeling a step behind them. When Loki, . . ."

"I knew it! I knew that he was behind that apple," Skye declared, interrupting him.

Grant forged ahead. "When Loki promised that I could be strong, like an Asgardian, as long as I got you to eat the other apple, I didn't hesitate. Not for a moment. All that matter to me was feeling powerful. Feeling in control. I didn't consider what you wanted for a second. Ever since . . . ever since you got shot, protecting you is all I can think about. But . . ." his voice broke. " . . . how can I do that? How can I make sure you're safe? I can't go up against the greenest recruit here. All my S.H.I.E.L.D. training and I can't save you."

Grant looked up at her, tears streaming down his face. "I'm sorry, Skye. I want to be a better person . . . but after what I've done . . . maybe . . . maybe I don't have it in me."

Skye laced her fingers in his, holding on with all her might. "Hey! Don't talk like that! How many times have you saved me? You jumped out of a plane to save Jemma. You watched out for Leo on your mission together. You took on the Berserker rage and conquered it."

Grant shook his head. "I've hardly conquered it."

"Still . . . look, I'm glad you told me. I only ever wanted you to be honest with me. We both . . . we both need to heal from our pasts. We both need forgiveness for things that we've done. Remember that whole episode with Miles?"

Grant stiffened. "I prefer to pretend that never happened."

Skye rolled her eyes. "Me, too, honey. Me too. The point is . . . we've all done things we regret. We can't change our pasts. But, if we're honest right now . . . completely honest with each other . . . we can have an amazing future together. And this little girl . . ." Skye cradled her belly. " . . . she deserves that. That's the kind of family we're going to forge. Together. We can do this. I know we can. So . . . no more lying . . . no more deception. Okay?"

Grant kissed her gently. "Okay. I don't deserve you."

Skye smiled. "Let's be glad that we don't get what we deserve. Let's just take our blessings when they come."

Grant looked at Skye and he felt the weight of the world had lifted from his shoulders. He had no idea what a heavy burden he'd been carrying for so long.

He felt free.

He felt blessed.

And, as he looked at his wife, he felt gratitude. His life could have taken a different course. He could have ended up like Christian, like his father.

He squeezed her hand tightly. "Yes, let's take them."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note<strong>- Thank you for every single review! I can't tell you how much your encouragement mean to me!


	69. The Gift Ch 38

**Ch. 38**

Skye and Grant had a few moments of peace together before Loki strode into the room with Darcy at his heels and a look of distress on his face. They were both dressed in their wedding clothes. He was wearing a version of his ceremonial uniform, golden armor and green leather complete with a helmet with long curving horns. Darcy was wearing a long, flowing white gown with a draped neckline, her hair pinned up with ringlets framing her face.

Loki raced to her bedside, setting down his helmet. "My dear, we came as soon as we were told."

"Oh," Skye said, her normally cheerful disposition notably missing.

"Are you alright?" he asked, not liking her tone.

"Grant told me what you did. With the apple."

Loki's eyes widened. "My dear, I . . . I was just -"

Skye cut him off. "After everything we've been through, I was just beginning to trust you again and then you pull something like that." As much as she hated to admit it, Loki's deception hurt her more than she thought it would. They had spent nearly half a year together, side by side, as he taught her to harness her powers. She had grown to care and even love him as her father. Having him try and trick her once again made it feel like they were back to square one, that all the work they had done in building their relationship was for nothing.

"What did he do now?" Darcy asked, her arms crossed in front of her as she glared at her future husband. She knew that having a good relationship with Skye was important to Loki, but she also knew that he also had a penchant for justifying his actions when he thought the goal was a worthy one.

"He convinced Grant to give me one of those Asgardian apples, to hide it in my food."

"Loki!" Darcy declared. _No wonder she's so upset,_ Darcy thought. _I'd be furious if he tried that on me._

"I've an explanation," he protested.

"It had better be a good one," Skye said.

Loki took a deep breath. "When I first saw you, you were badly injured. Closer to death than even your Coulson knew. And then, I found out you were my daughter, my only child. I . . .," he paused. "I have always been a selfish person. Even with as much as I cared for your mother, I chose to look after myself rather than bring her to Asgard. But, when I found out about you . . . about how my actions affected you . . ." He bit his lower lip. "You should have grown up here at the palace. Surrounded by family who adored you. Given every luxury. But, you missed out on all that because of me. Because of my selfishness."

"You think yourself young. That you have your whole life spread out before you. But, you have at best, seventy, perhaps eighty years left." He bit his lower lip as tears began to well in his eyes. "That's . . . . that's not enough time." His voice broke. "Not nearly enough. You are my only child and fate has cheated us of so much time together. I couldn't bear to lose you all over again."

"That's not your choice to make," Skye said, not unkindly. She knew his perception of time was different than hers. Eighty years seemed like forever to her. But for him, it must feel like a blink of an eye.

"I know . . . I know. I keep mucking things up, don't I?" He ran a shaky hand through hair.

"You can't force me to become like you."

"I know." Loki looked down at his hands, absentmindedly rubbing them together.

All of a sudden, Skye squeezed her eyes shut, steeling herself against an intense wave of pain. She clutched Grant's hand so tightly that she feared she would break it. He was her rock, helping her count down and breathe through the contraction.

Once she had recovered, she noticed how agitated Loki seemed.

"Have you not been offered any pain relief?" he asked sharply, looking around for the healers.

"I had some earlier, but they said it's too risky. To both me and the baby." Skye began to doubt how many much more she'd be able to take.

Loki nodded. "Right then. We'll have to try something else. I'm not having you suffer through the next several hours."

"Try what?" Grant asked suspiciously.

"It's a type of . . . I suppose you could call it hypnosis. It helps the subject relax and diminishes the perception of pain," Loki explained.

"I'm not having you mess around with her brain. I heard about what you did to Dr. Selvig and Agent Barton," Grant said, balling up his hands into fists without realizing. "I know how wrecked Agent Barton was afterwards."

Loki pressed his lips together in a grim expression. "That was with the scepter. This type of hypnosis is only possible with the subject's full cooperation."

"I don't like it," Grant growled.

"Hey, that's not your call to make. Did you see how much pain she was in?" Darcy said to Ward. She turned to Skye. "Dude, Skye, you're a lot tougher than me. I get cramps and I take off a week off of work," she quipped, trying to lighten the mood.

"If you can help me . . . make me feel better, I'm in," Skye declared to Loki.

"Won't you miss your wedding if you're here helping Skye? You've been planning it for weeks," Grant pointed out.

Loki turned to Darcy, an apologetic look on his face. "My dear . . ."

Darcy held up a hand. "It's fine. It's fine. Just make sure I get some wedding cake afterwards. That's all I care about," she said good-naturedly.

"So, you're alright that we'll miss the wedding?" Loki asked. He was once again struck by how much he loved her. He knew exactly how much work she had put into this event and yet she was ready to give it all up to help Skye. He was more than taken aback by how blessed he was. She was far better than he ever deserved.

"Sure. The most important thing is that we're here for Skye. She's your daughter. I guess, our daughter pretty soon," Darcy gave Skye a wink. "And it's not like we can be in two places at once."

A smile spread across Skye's face. "Actually, there is."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note<strong>- Any guesses as to what Skye's plan will be?

As always, thank you for your reviews! They are definitely the fuel that motivates me. I really appreciate your encouragement!


	70. The Gift Ch 39

**Ch. 39**

"What a clever girl," Loki said, his smile matching Skye's.

"So, you could do it, right?" Skye asked. She leaned forward a bit, glad to have thought of a compromise.

"I most certainly could," Loki said, smoothing down his clothing. He walked over to doorway where a guard was stationed. He spoke quietly to the man before the guard nodded and left.

"Do what?" Grant asked once he returned to Skye's bedside.

"We shall be in two places at once. The wedding will go on as planned and our doppelgangers will stand in for us while Darcy and I stay here with Skye," Loki explained smoothly. "Illusions are my speciality after all."

"Oh, that's a great idea," Darcy said excitedly. Then, her brow furrowed. "Wait, is it still, like, a legal wedding if we're not there? 'Cause I told you, I'm not shacking up with you."

Loki's grin broadened as he took both of her hands in his. "My dear, I am the king of Asgard. The wedding is just for show. I could quite simply say, 'I, Loki, take you, Darcy, as my wife', and vice versa and that would be that." He squeezed her hands. "The ceremony is performed to simply have an excuse for a feast later on," he replied airily.

"I still don't like the idea of you hypnotizing Skye," Grant protested.

Loki gave Darcy's hands another squeeze before dropping them and turning to Grant. "My dear son, I know that you love my daughter and that you only want the best for her, so seeing her go through unnecessary pain must be very difficult for you," Loki said.

"Sure."

"Well, we have the opportunity to lessen that pain. If, after all I have done, Skye can still put her trust in me, I would ask the same from you. For all of my faults, you must know that I would never knowingly harm my daughter," Loki said.

Grant shook his head. "Fine. You're right. I don't want her to suffer any more."

"Quite right." Loki smiled at Skye. "Well, it'll be a bit tricky, helping you through these birthing contractions as well as maintaining our doppelgangers. It will require a great deal of focus and skill. Lucky for you, I've years of practice."

Darcy rolled her eyes. "There you go, guys. My humble husband-to-be."

"I may not be humble, but I have many other fine qualities to make up for it," Loki replied, giving her a wink.

"That you do," Darcy said, giving Loki a quick kiss. "Alright, let's focus on Skye. What should Grant and I do while you're working on helping her out?"

"Well, Grant, Skye does derive great comfort from you being here, so if you can hold her hand during the contractions, it will help to ground her and help her to concentrate."

Grant nodded as he unconsciously wiggled the fingers on his right hand. He'd never admit it, but Skye's grip had been far stronger than he would have imagined as she went through the contractions. She'd hadn't broken anything, but she had gotten a lot closer to it than Grant had thought possible. But, if holding her hand helped her in any way, he'd do it, despite any pain.

She was always there for for him; he'd be there for her.

Loki turned to Darcy. "And as for you, my dear, I must admit having you here with me would help me greatly." As confident as he tried to be in his abilities to both help Skye and to trick thousands of guests into believing he and Darcy were at the ceremony, having her nearby provided a much needed extra source of strength. He relied on her as he had never relied on anyone else.

"Anything for my guy," Darcy said.

00000

"As the covenant of marriage has been freely declared and attested to by these witnesses, I name King Loki and Queen Darcy as joined together in eternal union."

Darcy looked at the holographic depiction of her wedding projected from the monitor that one of the healers had brought in. It was eerie to see an illusion of herself marry an illusion of Loki in front of thousands of people. Other than the healers and a few select servants, only Thor and Jane knew about the deception. The Chief Magistrate officiating the ceremony beamed down at them, completely unaware that they weren't actually there.

All in all, it had gone off without a hitch. Her doppelganger was spot on. She had pushed Loki to "Photoshop" it a bit, to change a few "flaws" that always bothered her, but he resisted. "You are completely lovely just as you are," he had told her. "I would never change a single thing about you."

She sniffled a bit as a tear ran down her face. She was married. To Loki. She still couldn't quite wrap her head around it. They had spent months in a kind of dance, going back and forth, but all that was over.

He was her husband. She was his wife.

For at least the next four or five thousand years. The enormity of it made it a bit hard to breathe.

She looked over at him. She could see the sweat beading on his brow as he focused on helping Skye navigate the increasingly intense contractions as well as maintaining the illusions that were presently being congratulated on being newlyweds in the Great Hall. His voice weaved a calming web over Skye as she concentrated on his voice, banishing the pain that threatened to engulf her. Despite the calm he was trying to project, Darcy could sense his weariness.

Grant was by Skye's side, staring intently at her, clutching her hand, whispering soothing words to her. Darcy hoped he appreciated all that Loki was doing for Skye. She knew that Loki had his flaws. But, in his own way, he was pushing for redemption, trying to make up for what he had done in his past. He was still going to falter. He was still going to fall short of the mark.

But then again, everyone does.

What matters is what they do afterwards.

00000

Hours later, after the wedding had ended and halfway through the feasting, a contingent of healers flew into the room.

"We'll take over now," the head healer said smoothly, looking up at the lighted displays hovering over Skye.

"So that means . . . ." Skye began, excitement in her voice.

"The baby will arrive soon. We can now administer traditional pain relief without needing His Majesty's intervention any longer," she said.

"Oh, thank goodness," Loki declared in a rush. As Skye shot him a glance, he winced a bit. "I must admit, maintaining both the illusions and focusing on helping you have proven a bit of a strain. I was concerned that I might not be able to keep it up much longer."

"Well, Your Majesty, I can officially relieve you," the head healer said kindly.

Reluctantly, Loki stood up from Skye's bedside, relinquishing his spot to the healer. He walked over to Darcy and held her, sagging a bit in her arms from sheer exhaustion, hoping that Skye didn't notice.

"Now, are you ready to become parents?" the head healer asked Grant and Skye.

"Yes," they answered in unison.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note<strong>- Next up, a baby!


	71. The Gift Ch 40

**Ch. 40**

Asgardian pain relief was the most wonderful thing in the entire universe.

As much as Loki had helped minimize the pain of the contractions, as much as Grant holding her hand and helping her breathe ameliorated some of the agony, nothing . . . nothing compared to the sweet release Skye felt as the Asgardian medicine began to make its way through her body.

"Are you feeling more comfortable?" the head healer asked as the painkillers began to pump through her system.

"I would hug you if I could get out of this bed," Skye said as she beamed at the healer. The last hour had been pure bliss compared to the rest of the day.

The head healer chuckled as she examined Skye to see how far along she was. "That's a common reaction once the pain relief take hold. Now, it's nearly time. In a minute, I'm going to ask you to push, since you'll have a hard time knowing when the contractions are coming. Do you think you can do that for me?"

Skye looked over at Grant, who gripped her hand and nodded. "Yes."

The healer smiled at her. "Alright, let's begin on the count of three. One . . . two . . . three. Push . . . push . . . push. Very good. Okay. Let's try again. On the count of three. One . . . . . two . . . . three. Push . . . push . . . . . . . PUSH! Excellent . . . I can see the head. Once more . . . One . . . . . two . . . . three. Push . . . push . . . . . . . PUSH! Again! One . . . . . two . . . . three. Push . . . push . . . . . . PUSH . . . PUSH . . . . PUSH!"

It was then that Grant and Skye heard the most lovely sound in the entire world.

Their baby's first cry.

The healer swaddled the child and then examined the baby briefly. "She looks completely healthy. Congratulations. And what will you name your new daughter?" the head healer asked as she placed the small bundle into Skye's waiting arms.

"Frigga, after her great-grandmother," Skye replied. She and Grant had talked it over for weeks, but there had been only one name that they had come back to time and time again.

"The King will be pleased," the healer observed. "Why don't I give you a moment or two alone and then I'll call him and the Queen back in?"

"Thanks," Grant said. He looked down at the blotchy red-faced infant, her eyes squeezed shut and he knew that he'd never seen anything so beautiful as his child in the arms of his wife. They were truly a family.

"She's . . ." Skye began, but couldn't finish as tears began to stream down her face.

"Perfect, just like her mother," he said as he leaned over and kissed Skye's forehead.

"It . . . it was worth it. Every minute of it. For her," Skye said, referring to the last few hours.

Grant nodded, brushing the baby's soft, downy cheek with the back of his finger.

There was a small knock on the door.

"Come in," Skye said, brushing away the tears.

Loki and Darcy entered, both beaming.

"You did it!" Darcy said. "You're amazing."

"That you are," Loki agreed. "And the baby? What shall you call her?"

"Frigga," Skye answered.

Loki could feel his eyes mist over. The idea of his mother's name living on in his new granddaughter was overwhelming. "Quite right. It's fitting. Thank you, Skye."

"Thank you . . . Dad. Thanks for your help. Thanks for ditching out on your own wedding for me," Skye said.

Loki shrugged. "There was really no choice. I will always be there for you. I will always regret not taking care of you in your childhood," Loki admitted.

"You're here now," Skye said.

"That I am," Loki said. "Now, may I hold my granddaughter?"

Skye nodded and handed the tiny baby over to Loki. Grant tensed a bit, more out of habit than anything else. If you had told him a few years ago that his infant daughter would be resting in the arms of Loki, he would have thought you were nuts. But a lot can change in a couple of years.

_More than you can even imagine_, he thought.

0000000

Skye rested for a week on Asgard, but pushed to get back to Earth as soon as possible. She felt bad that the entire team had been stuck on Asgard for nearly six months and she didn't want them to stay a minute longer than they had to.

The Warriors Three, Sif, and Thor all had one more night of revelry before they parted ways. They drunk so much ale that the tavern had to send out for more. Both Hogun and Volstagg assured their departing friends that they would have grand adventures on Midgard, but the night ended on a bittersweet note.

At the Bifrost Observatory the next morning as they all awaited to depart, Sif and Fandral were quiet. The tension between them and Loki was palpable. He approached them and he could practically feel their unease.

"Despite everything, I do wish you both well."

Sif nodded curtly. She didn't trust herself to speak.

"And we wish the same to you," Fandral said. There was no reason to leave on a bitter note. They'd known each other for centuries and if they weren't precisely friends, they had been comrades-in-arms.

Loki nodded, not wanting to prolong the good-bye. He made his way over to Coulson who was regarding him with narrowed eyes. "Now, I know that we've had our differences in the past," Loki began.

"You killed me!" Coulson countered.

"Oh, not that again. You got better, didn't you?" Loki replied flippantly.

Coulson rolled his eyes. "I guess I did."

"I wanted to make amends." Loki nodded to one of the guards who walked over to Coulson, holding a hanger covered by a large plastic bag.

"You got me a suit? You murdered me and to make up for it, you got me a suit?" Coulson asked incredulously.

"It's Armani," Loki pointed out archly.

"Well, then . . .," Coulson shrugged as he quickly snatched the hanger from the guard. "Can't turn down an Armani suit."

"I thought not."

"Look, I'm never going to trust you," Coulson said.

"I know." There was a lot of animosity between them still.

Coulson continued. "But . . . I know that you love Skye. That you'll always be watching out for her. And well . . . that means something."

"And I know that you have been there for her. Been a father to her in more ways than I can count. You risked everything for Skye and that means a lot to me, too," Loki replied.

Coulson nodded curtly. They'd never be friends, but it felt like they stopped being enemies. And that was a start, at least.

Then, Thor walked over to Loki, a grin on his face. "It seems that we will be leaving shortly."

Loki looked around him as Darcy was hugging FitzSimmons and crying at the same time. "You lot are a sentimental bunch. These goodbyes are taking forever."

"I will miss you, brother," Thor declared.

"And I you, although I'm loathe to admit it," Loki said.

Thor grabbed him in a tight hug and Loki didn't pull away. They'd been brothers for a thousand years and the bond between them ran deeper than blood ever would.

00000

"So, I never asked. How was the wedding?" Darcy asked Jane after she finished crying with FitzSimmons. The past week had been a flurry of dignitaries and time spent with the baby. They'd hardly had a moment alone together.

"Good. I wish you were there," Jane said. It just hit her how much she was going to miss Darcy. They'd been fast friends the last few years and Jane had come to appreciate her incorrigible attitude.

"I was. In spirit at least," Darcy said.

"I'm going to miss you," Jane said, her voice breaking a bit.

"No you're not," Darcy declared.

"How could you say that? Of course I will!" Jane replied fiercely.

"What I meant was, I won't give you a chance to miss me. I've got Heimdall here. He'll zap me back and we can hang out whenever you want. Right, Heimdall?" Darcy gestured to Asgard's guardian, standing on the raised dais next to them.

"Yes, Your Majesty," Heimdall's mouth quirked into a half-grin.

"You're the best," Jane said, hugging her friend tightly.

"You, too," Darcy replied. "Now, you take care. Watch out for the mountain of a husband of yours."

"I will. You, too."

"Oh, managing Loki is going to be a full time job. But I'm up to the challenge," Darcy replied before making her way over to Skye, who was holding baby Frigga in her arms.

"So, we're good? You're okay with your far too young stepmother?" Darcy teased.

"Well, my dad's far too old . . . so yeah. It's not like we were ever going to be a normal family," Skye said.

"That's the spirit. Now, we'll come visit. A lot. I want to see my new . . . I can't even say the word," Darcy said, shaking her head.

"Granddaughter?" Skye supplied impishly.

"I'm a grandma. A grandma," Darcy wailed.

"But . . . like a hot one," Skye said.

"Not helping," Darcy deadpanned. She took a deep breath. "You know we love you, right?"

"I do," Skye said, nodding.

While Darcy spoke with Skye, Loki walked over to her husband. "I trust that you will care for both Skye and Frigga," Loki said.

"I will," Grant said.

Loki took a deep breath. "I am sorry. About the apples. About putting you in that position. It was wrong of me."

Grant nodded. "I . . . understand wanting to protect Skye."

"You're a father now. Having a child. It changes you."

"For the better, I hope."

"Definitely for the better," Loki replied, looking over at Skye. "Good-bye, my dear."

Skye smiled, handing the baby over Grant and tackling her father with a fierce hug. "I love you . . . even after everything, you know that?"

"And I love you . . . my dear daughter. Thank you. For your forgiveness. For your grace. For . . . being you." He sniffed a bit, holding back tears. "I suppose you must go."

Skye nodded, letting go of her father and turning to Heimdall. "Heimdall, if you could . . . ?"

He nodded, and inserted his sword into the device.

Skye smiled over at her husband and daughter and the rest of the team around them. It was time to go home.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note<strong>- One more chapter to go!

Just in case you were wondering, given the rating on this fic, I chose not to have the birthing scene be too detailed.


	72. The Gift Ch 41

**Ch. 41**

A week after they had returned from Asgard, things were starting to return to "normal". Jane and FitzSimmons practically lived in the lab, spending every available moment taking what they had learned on Asgard and using it to recreate a device that could be used to transport people back and forth to Asgard.

Late one night, Jane came back to the small room on the Bus that she shared with Thor. He was snoring lightly, but roused when she came in. He spent the days training, getting ready for the next big battle that was surely just around the corner.

"I didn't mean to wake you," she said by way of apology.

Thor sat up in bed, running a hand through his hair. He didn't mind. With Jane's long hours, he hardly saw his wife lately. He was glad she woke him.

"How are things going? With Fandral and Sif?" Jane asked as she began to quickly change into her nightclothes.

Thor shrugged. "They are . . . adjusting. This world is far different from Asgard. But I have hope. How is the progress on the Bifrost device?"

A smile engulfed Jane's face as it always did as she talked about her work. Her enthusiasm and dedication were two of the things Thor loved most about her. "Wonderful. We've already run several tests, transporting smaller inanimate objects back and forth without a problem. We'll be able to start on live subjects soon. Heimdall's been really helpful and so far, Loki hasn't done anything to impede our progress."

Thor's expression darkened at the mention of his brother. Loki's destruction of Jane's and FitzSimmons' first attempt at the device was still as sore spot between them. "Jane, I must ask," Thor began. "We could have fought to take over Asgard. You would have become queen of the realm. I know that my brother is hardly your favorite person in the universe. Why did you not push for me to wrest control away from Loki?"

Jane sighed as she sat down next to Thor. "Loki has his faults. He's done some horrible things in the past. But . . . he did save my life. Twice. And . . . I've seen the way he looks at Darcy. Like she's his entire world. If he's willing to change . . . if he's willing to make up for his past, well . . ." she spread her hands out.

"I don't know what I have ever done in my life to deserve such a blessing as you," he declared, taking his wife in his arms.

"That's why it's called a blessing," she said, holding on just as tightly. "Because you don't earn it. And I feel the exact, same way."

000000

Early that next evening, Fandral sat on his tiny bed on the Bus, an ancient piece of technology in his hands. His fingers shook slightly as he dialed the number Agent May had scrawled on a piece of paper for him.

"Hello?" a female voice answered.

"Um . . . yes. Hello. Is this Agent Maria Hill?"

"Who's asking?" the woman replied suspiciously.

"My name is Fandral. Agent May told me that she would contact you and let you know that I would be calling?" Fandral fidgeted nervously on his bed, uncomfortable in the odd Midgardian clothing he was wearing. Agent May called them "jeans" and insisted that they would help him blend in, but Fandral missed his leather breeches terribly.

"Yes," she replied and Fandral could hear the smile in her voice.

"I have been informed that we will be visiting the main 'headquarters' of S.H.I.E.L.D. within the week for a new assignment and I wondered . . ." Fandral faltered for a moment. Given his string of disastrous attempts at relationships of late, he felt dubious about his own legendary skill with women. He swallowed hard. "I thought . . . perhaps . . . you might want to accompany me to a tavern to indulge in . . ." He trailed off, wincing at his own ineptitude. He used to be so good at this. His lack of self-confidence was disheartening.

"Fandral, are you asking me out for a drink?" Maria asked.

"Um . . . that I am," he said.

"Sounds great," she replied briskly. "Call me when you get into town."

Fandral blinked. "I will." He thought it best to end the call before making any missteps. "I wish you a lovely night."

"Right back at you. Bye," she said.

"Good-bye," he replied before hanging up.

As he sat the phone down on the bed, a grin spread across his face.

Living in exile didn't seem so bad after all.

000000

Jane and Thor finally took a day off before the big upcoming assignment meeting at S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters. Leo and Jemma decided to stay in the lab, reviewing the data they'd collected while using the Bifrost device. There were a few more tests they wanted to run before trying the device out on any live subjects.

"Okay. Three . . . . two . . . . one!" Leo pressed down on the activation button of their device. He grimaced slightly at the delay. The Asgardian Bifrost was nearly instantaneous. Their version took several seconds. Considering the great distances crossed, it wasn't a horribly long setback, but it still worried Leo a bit.

Finally, a wooden box reappeared inside of the designated quarantine cell. "We did it!" Leo and Jemma shouted at once, hugging each other in glee. Jemma squinted through the glass as she noted that there was a small note attached to the box.

_All is ready _

_- Heimdall_

"Why is Heimdall sending us notes?" Jemma asked suspiciously.

Leo shrugged. "I'm going to try to try out the device once more," he said.

"Why?"

He didn't answer. He pressed the button once again and smiled as a metal box with intricate, exotic runes on it materialized on a nearby table.

"What's that? Why isn't it in quarantine?"

"It's fine. Open it up," Leo suggested.

"Leo, you know that we should never just open up some alien technology. There are protocols. It should go through quarantine."

"It's okay. I promise. Open it up," he insisted.

Jemma shook her head vehemently. "Remember the whole Chitauri contagion? I nearly died."

"Oh . . . bloody hell, woman, just open it up," he said, irritated beyond belief.

"Leo, I . . . " she protested.

"Fine," he said curtly. "I'll do it." He took the small metal box, sank down on one knee in front of Jemma, and opened it in front of her, his hands shaking slightly as he spoke. "Jemma, I love you. You are the most amazing person I have ever met. I can't imagine my life without you. Will you marry me?"

"Oh, Leo," she began, her voice breaking as she saw the gleaming golden Asgardian ring, encrusted in dazzling jewels. "Yes! Yes! Of course!"

000000

In the training room, Sif smiled as she saw the sweat pour down Agent May's face. They had spent the better part of the last two hours sparring and while Sif could go on for several hours more, she knew that Agent May had hit her limit.

"We should stop here," Sif said. "We can always continue tomorrow."

May nodded, slightly out of breath. As skilled as she was, she was aware of the fact that she didn't have the endurance of an Asgardian. She appreciated the fact that Sif pushed her to test her own limits. She scooped up a towel from the mat, throwing another at Sif, although she knew that the Asgardian didn't need it.

"So, how are things for you? Living here on Earth?" May asked.

"Rather well, I say. As advanced as Asgard is when it comes to technology, there are parts of the society that are somewhat . . . backward," she said.

"I could see that," May said dryly. More than one recruit on Asgard had protested having a Midgardian train them, much less a woman. May had quickly shown them the error of their ways.

"I feel . . . for the first time in my life, that there are possibilities all around me." Sif smiled. "I'd hate to admit it, but perhaps Loki did me a favor by exiling me."

May chuckled. "Well, we're glad to have you." Having Thor, Fandral, and Sif on their team had been an unexpected, but welcome blessing.

"And we are glad to be here," Sif said, her voice grave. "You took Fandral and me in, made us part of your team . . . part of your family. Such a debt is not easily repaid."

"Well, in a family, there are no debts. We take care of one another," May said fiercely.

Sif smiled, not having the words to express how grateful she was to start her life over again.

A new beginning was always welcome.

0000000

"I overheard you . . . talking to Sif. Saying that we're all a family," Coulson said. They were in their private bunk. May had showered and redressed and was sitting on their bed, brushing her hair. He sat down next to her and took her in his arms.

"Now, don't get all sentimental on me," May nearly growled, setting down the hairbrush. She felt a bit embarrassed that he had heard her.

"I know. But . . . I've been thinking of having a family of our own," Coulson said, wiggling the new wedding ring on his finger. They had rushed to Vegas the second that they had returned from Asgard, determined to make up for lost time.

May tensed in his arms, pulling away slightly. "Phil, I'm fifty. There's no way I'm having a baby. And even if we adopted one, are we going to attend their high school graduation and then go back to the retirement home once it's over?" she asked acidly.

Coulson held her all the tighter. "I know. I know. But, being around Skye, knowing her history . . . it got me to thinking. There's a lot of eleven, thirteen year old kids in the system, being bounced around from one foster family to another. We could adopt an older child who got looked over, give them a chance at a real home. I know that you would make an amazing mom. And, let's face it, I'm everyone's dad whether they like it or not," he chuckled.

"Oh, Phil," May said, burying her head in his chest.

"Is that a yes?" he asked hopefully.

She nodded, not trusting her voice.

"And think of it, we'll skip over the late night feedings and dirty diapers," he teased as he brought her even closer for a kiss.

000000

Skye and Grant, on the other hand, were knee deep in late night feedings and dirty diapers. Both sleep and quiet were distant memories. Baby Frigga slept all day and howled all night and although they had both taken family leave to care for her, they were at their wits' end.

"How're you doing?" Grant asked, as Skye set Frigga down in her crib, an illusion of mobile swirling overheard, courtesy of her mother. She was swaddled tight and a pacifier in her mouth in the vain hope that she'd drift off to sleep.

"Good," Skye lied, stifling a yawn.

"Good?"

She turned to him, looking him straight in the eyes. Eyes that were bloodshot like hers, dark bags underneath them as well. "Alright. I've never been so tired in my whole, entire life."

Grant smiled. "Same here."

"It's hard. A lot harder than I thought it was going to be."

He nodded. "I know. I know."

"But still . . . I look at her and I just feel this overwhelming feeling of love. Like we've been given this amazing gift, this incredible blessing." She still couldn't believe how she had gone from an unwanted orphan to a loved daughter, wife, and mother.

Grant looked down at Baby Frigga, at her delicate features and felt the same wave of love nearly engulf him. His family. Over a year ago, he had been in the depths of despair. The woman he loved had been shot and was clinging to life.

And now, she was his wife, the mother of his child. They were taking this opportunity to make their own family. To rewrite the pain and sadness of their pasts and to create a new story. A new beginning.

He felt tears of joy well in his eyes.

A gift, indeed.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note<strong>- First off, thank you so very, very much for all of your kind support! As I said before, over a year ago this started off as a short story. But your encouraging words made all the difference. Thank you for every single follow, favorite, and review!

I have one last favor to ask. **If you've enjoyed these stories, would you mind letting me know in a review? You would make my day!**

Some readers have requested yet another sequel. I may try that or a series of short stories focusing on each couple, if there's enough reader interest.

You can follow me on **tumblr** - **creativereadingfanfiction** or **PM** me. I love talking to my fellow Marvel fans!

Thanks again for everything!


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